Good afternoon. . .
A federal judge whose husband and mother were killed by a deranged man testified Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Us District Judge Joan Lefkow spoke about the incident "so no one else will have to suffer what we've suffered."
Lefkow urged Congress to quickly distribute the $12 million for enhanced security for federal judges including home security systems fir active and retired federal judges.
Lefkow also condemned the harsh rhetoric against the judiciary coming from members of Congress and some conservative ministers.
"The fostering of disrespect for judges can only encourage those that are on the edge, or the fringe, to exact revenge on a judge who displeases them."
Lefkow said: "Whether liberal or conservative, I have never encountered a judge in the federal judiciary who can remotely be described as posing a threat, as Mr. Robertson said, 'probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into our buildings."'
When asked by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) why she had not asked for help from the US Marshall Service after a threat by white supremacist Matthew Hale, Lefkow said she lacked the expertise to asses the treat and worried that the US Marshall Service has no system in place to assess and protect her safety. At one point Lefkow said that the US Marshall has trouble getting defendants to court how can they protect judges.
Judge Lefkow has not appeared on the bench since the February incident and there is no set date for her return.
PJStar.com - Journal Star News
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The contentious 2004 election may finally be over in Ohio.
The Ohio State Supreme Court declined Thursday to punish four attorneys who challenged the results in court.
Chief Justice Thomas Moyer ruled against the state's attempt to have lawyers sanctioned for filing "a meritless claim" against the vote that gave President George Bush a win in Ohio and, as a result, enough votes to win a second term.
In legal documents filed with the court, the four attorneys claimed to have substantial evidence of voting irregularities to back of their claim of widespread fraud. The claim was withdrawn without a hearing.
"The General Assembly could have expressly authorized courts to sanction those who pursue frivolous election contests. It has not," Moyer, a Republican, wrote in his decision.
If the court had sanctioned the lawyers, they could have been forced to repay court and attorney's fees.
Ohio Supreme Court Won't Sanction Lawyers - Yahoo! News
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More tomorrow.
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