Glad that mandatory sentencing laws are on the books
By: RTCBLC
Following up on previous discussion here regarding Judge Benson's sentencing of the Brigham drug doctor, read Rolly's column today on the many flip/flops of Judge Benson. Here's the link:
I've had mixed feeling on mandatory sentencing laws but given this judge's history I'm glad they are on the books.
Who'll be the first to chime in with their own 2¢?
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2 comments:
From my reading, it seems that Rolly's take was less about Benson and more about the double standard in justice in Utah. If you pull the notion up a level (add politics, business, education, etc., to the larger picture) it becomes more interesting to me.
Then, if you add the T-axis (time, history, trending, etc.), it starts (as Rudi is wont to say) to get positively chewy.
To deny the reality that LDS influence neither exists nor is exerted is not up for debate. The questions of how much/how often/to what end/etc., are arguable, of course.
The fact that the demographics of the state are changing is pretty compelling in this conversation. I read the other day that although only 57% percent of the state is LDS, 91% of the legislature is LDS. (I wonder if that's an artifact of inertia.)
Whatever the case, I'm guessing that those numbers will look radically different within a couple of generations. It seems inevitable to me. What will be particularly interesting is the reaction of the organization and its members.
But wait, we must be grateful that the judiciary, thoughtful people that they are, protect the Constitution from the legislature and the public, right?
Wrong. Judges are screwballs like everyone else. Why should one judge be any better interpreter of the Constitution than the legislature or especially, the public?
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