Good afternoon . . .
With the politicians and just about everyone else leaving large cities, state capitols, and Washington DC for the holiday weekend and more, here are some small stories that may pique your interest.
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The mayor of a small upstate New York village will face trial for attempting to marry couples in Feb 2004.
New Palz, NY, mayor Jason West faces 24 charges of violating the state's domestic relations law by marrying couple without a license. He faces fines and up to a year in jail if convicted.
West's actions came in the wake of San Francisco's mayor Gavin Newsome disregard for a California law banning gay marriage. Newsom's efforts have been put on hold by California courts.
West maintains that he was upholding the gay couples' constitutional rights to "equal protection" by allowing them to marry in the college town in 2004.
Top state officials West is in violation of state law that prohibits same sex marriage.
N.Y. Court Rules Mayor Will Face Trial - Yahoo! News
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An Ohio official has resigned after the disappearance of $10 million of rare coins purchased as an investment.
Ohio Gov. Bob Taft (R) announced the departure of James Conrad as head of the state's worker's compensation department. Conrad was known statewide for his efforts to "fix" the troubled agency.
The announcement came less than a day after it was learned that $10 to $12 million of the state's estimated $55 million investment in rare coins was missing. This is substantially larger than the original $400,000 thought to be missing.
State officials also plan to sue the man responsible for managing the investment, Toledo coin dealer Tom Noe and seek criminal charges. A judge has ordered the remaining coins transferred to the state.
The governor says that Conrad nor any member of his staff told Taft about the state's investment in coins until he read about it in the Toledo Blade. Taft said agency officials told him the collection was safe and profitable.
Noe is well known in Ohio Republican circles and is said to have received his job as a result of contributions made to statewide officials. Ohio Democrats are calling for anyone who received a contribution from Now to return it.
State officials said they planned to sell of the remaining coin collection.
Ohio Official Resigns Amid Coin Scandal - Yahoo! News
politics
Ohio
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Sometimes juries make the right decision and sometimes they make a wrong decision.
A California jury made the wrong decision in the case of an aide to Sen. Hillary Clinton on Friday.
David Rosen was on trial for lying to federal authorities about a lavish fundraiser for the Clinton senatorial campaign. He was acquitted of the charges.
Although it was obvious that the lavish gala featuring many Hollywood cost far more than the amount Rosen submitted to the Federal Election Commission, Rosen claims he did not do it deliberately and that Sen. Clinton was not aware of the wrongdoing.
"If I executed poor judgment in that decision, I made a mistake, but I certainly didn't intend to hide anything," Rosen testified.
If you did not intend to hide anything, why did you report it incorrectly. The "poor judgment" was lying to officials, but I guess Californians don't see lying as a problem.
Former Aide to Sen. Clinton Acquitted - Yahoo! News
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With recent concerns over security for federal judges and courtroom security, the Supreme Court made a strange ruling on Monday.
In a 7-2 decision the high court rules in was unconstitutional to force capitol murder defendants to appear before juries in shackles during the penalty phase of the trial.
The decision threw out the death sentence of Carman Deck, a convicted murderer who wore leg irons and handcuffed during the penalty phase of his trial.
Writing for the majority Justice Stephen Breyer said shackling almost implies that authorities consider the offender a danger to the community, a factor juries weigh in considering a sentence.
"Although the jury is no longer deciding between guilt and innocence, it is deciding between life and death," he wrote.
A strongly worded dissent by Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia warned that the decision risks the lives of courtroom personnel. This writer agrees.
Is Justice Breyer and other members of the majority aware of the concerns of federal judges? Did they not hear Judge Joan Lefkow ask Congress for more funds for courtroom and judge security? Are they not aware of the killings inside an Atlanta courtroom? This Justice Breyer is a horrible and potentially dangerous ruling.
Court Rules Against Shackling Defendants - Yahoo! News
Supreme Court
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Have a safe Memorial Day weekend. Unless developments warrant, there will be no Check This Out! until Tuesday, May 31.
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