Obama 2nd Circuit Nominee Abused Power, Helped Rapist and Serial Killer
hogan
RedState.com
4/29/2010
Lost amid all the flurry regarding Arizona’s new immigration law and Obama’s efforts (with Republican assistance) to have the federal government run Wall Street has been the nomination of Federal District Judge Robert N. Chatigny to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. But you should care. A lot.
Why? Circuit court judges have a great deal of power and influence. Yet, this is a man who abused his power as a judge to help a rapist/serial killer, attempted to strike down the sex offender registry known as Megan’s law (a decision later unanimously overturned by the Supreme Court) and sentenced child porn distributors well below the sentencing guideline range. In particular, his unethical handling of the case of “the Roadside Strangler,” serial killer Michael B. Ross, is one of the most egregious displays of arrogance and abuse of power by any judge in recent memory.
And that doesn’t even come close to giving you the full picture of just how out of touch this man is with both the American public and his responsibility to call balls and strikes as a judge. To do that, you need to read and/or view the following:
1. This clip detailing the horrific murders – by Michael Ross – of 8 young women, of whom at least 6 he violently raped;
2. A devastating letter from Michael O’Hare (PDF), the Assistant State’s Attorney in Connecticut who represented the state in the challenge to Chatigny’s death sentence, in which he details the long train of abuses by Chatigny – such as presiding over Ross’ case despite having previously represented him, interrupting the state before it had finished to rule in favor of the murderer/rapist, berating and threatening Chatigny’s defense lawyers for not filing against their client’s wishes, and otherwise acting in appropriately; and
3. This video of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing held yesterday in which Senators Coburn, Kyl and Sessions asked Chatigny tough questions, and for which he had no good answers (see Daily Caller on topic, here), regarding not only the Ross case, but Chatigny’s ruling against Megan’s law and his pattern of giving low sentences to distributors of child pornography.
Unfortunately, despite these clearly disqualifying actions, characteristics and temperament, Chatigny may still be confirmed by the Senate because of blindly loyal democrats and the misguided efforts of former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, who is calling Senators on Chatigny’s behalf. Of course, as the Daily Caller notes, Mukasey’s former chief of staff at the Justice Department, Brian Benczkowski, is now staff director for Judiciary ranking member Sen. Jeff Sessions.
Mukasey was a colleague of Chatigny in the Second Circuit, and played a role in clearing Chatigny of any judicial misconduct. But the fact the judicial brotherhood sticks together is no great surprise and that he was cleared, even with substantial misgivings by his colleagues, is not grounds for Senators to ignore his abhorrent, arrogant behavior when considering his possible elevation.
Consider the facts of Michael Ross’ crimes…
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