Post by WaTcHeR on Dec 4, 2005 15:08:44 GMT -5
I'm not usually a big fan of Federal Judges, you know the guys that get appointed for life as a Judge. These Federal Judges work for the Government and not for "We the people."
History has shown that Federal Judges "Supreme Court" judges have always ruled in favor for the "Government" and not ever a "citizen."
I came across this one article on a Federal Judge and it has gotten my hopes up a little. Now I'm just saying I'll give a little more respect to this guy, but as far as trusting a Federal Judge, that would be like me saying I "trust" cops, it's not going to happen! As I've said before I do have respect for law enforcement, but that doesn't mean I would trust any police officer.
The following statement is made at the end of the story, but I think it's well worth being mentioned at the beginning of the story as well.
And here it is:
Judge Sparks said he regularly reads the Seventh Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and keeps copies of it in his desk drawer to hand to lawyers practicing in his court. The amendment states that the "right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States."
"The jury trial was," Sparks said, "a weapon against corrupt judges."
Sunday, December 04, 2005 - Before U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks was appointed to the federal bench in Austin Texas in 1991, he worked for 26 years trying lawsuits for an El Paso texas law firm.
Sparks, 66, estimates that he argued an average of 25 cases before juries every year for most of that time, representing businesses such as insurance companies, railroads and car manufacturers.
"I came to realize how accurate jurors were in rendering their verdict," he said.
Now, Sparks, one of two federal judges serving life terms on the bench in Austin, thinks that civil jury trials are under attack by trial and appeals court judges who overturn jury verdicts. In recent years, Sparks has been an outspoken advocate of the civil jury trial.
Last month, Sparks was recognized for his efforts by a prominent group of Texas trial lawyers who gave him their state Judge of the Year award.
Sparks, who is sometimes crusty and can lash out at unprepared lawyers who waste time, also has a playful side. He once dismissed an inmate's suit against Penthouse magazine with a 12-line poem and a $250 fine.
The Texas branch of the American Board of Trial Advocates, an invitation-only group of civil plaintiff and defense lawyers, lauded Sparks' "for outstanding service and preserving the right to a jury trial."
Sparks hears criminal and civil cases. The civil cases include those involving the U.S. government, constitutional issues, federal laws and disputes between parties in different states.
"He has really been on a crusade trying to save the jury trial," said Austin lawyer Dicky Grigg, the group's treasurer. "A lot of times, the messenger is just as important as the message. Judge Sparks is an excellent messenger."
Grigg praised Sparks for getting his message to lawyers and judges in unfiltered comments from the bench, in a series of speeches and in a letter he sent in recent years to judges in Texas and surrounding states.
Sparks regularly criticizes appellate judges, including those on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, for overturning jury verdicts, Grigg said.
"You are appointed for life, but it takes some guts to jump on people who are going to grade your paper," he said.
Sparks said he regularly reads the Seventh Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and keeps copies of it in his desk drawer to hand to lawyers practicing in his court. The amendment states that the "right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States."
"The jury trial was," Sparks said, "a weapon against corrupt judges."
History has shown that Federal Judges "Supreme Court" judges have always ruled in favor for the "Government" and not ever a "citizen."
I came across this one article on a Federal Judge and it has gotten my hopes up a little. Now I'm just saying I'll give a little more respect to this guy, but as far as trusting a Federal Judge, that would be like me saying I "trust" cops, it's not going to happen! As I've said before I do have respect for law enforcement, but that doesn't mean I would trust any police officer.
The following statement is made at the end of the story, but I think it's well worth being mentioned at the beginning of the story as well.
And here it is:
Judge Sparks said he regularly reads the Seventh Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and keeps copies of it in his desk drawer to hand to lawyers practicing in his court. The amendment states that the "right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States."
"The jury trial was," Sparks said, "a weapon against corrupt judges."
Sunday, December 04, 2005 - Before U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks was appointed to the federal bench in Austin Texas in 1991, he worked for 26 years trying lawsuits for an El Paso texas law firm.
Sparks, 66, estimates that he argued an average of 25 cases before juries every year for most of that time, representing businesses such as insurance companies, railroads and car manufacturers.
"I came to realize how accurate jurors were in rendering their verdict," he said.
Now, Sparks, one of two federal judges serving life terms on the bench in Austin, thinks that civil jury trials are under attack by trial and appeals court judges who overturn jury verdicts. In recent years, Sparks has been an outspoken advocate of the civil jury trial.
Last month, Sparks was recognized for his efforts by a prominent group of Texas trial lawyers who gave him their state Judge of the Year award.
Sparks, who is sometimes crusty and can lash out at unprepared lawyers who waste time, also has a playful side. He once dismissed an inmate's suit against Penthouse magazine with a 12-line poem and a $250 fine.
The Texas branch of the American Board of Trial Advocates, an invitation-only group of civil plaintiff and defense lawyers, lauded Sparks' "for outstanding service and preserving the right to a jury trial."
Sparks hears criminal and civil cases. The civil cases include those involving the U.S. government, constitutional issues, federal laws and disputes between parties in different states.
"He has really been on a crusade trying to save the jury trial," said Austin lawyer Dicky Grigg, the group's treasurer. "A lot of times, the messenger is just as important as the message. Judge Sparks is an excellent messenger."
Grigg praised Sparks for getting his message to lawyers and judges in unfiltered comments from the bench, in a series of speeches and in a letter he sent in recent years to judges in Texas and surrounding states.
Sparks regularly criticizes appellate judges, including those on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, for overturning jury verdicts, Grigg said.
"You are appointed for life, but it takes some guts to jump on people who are going to grade your paper," he said.
Sparks said he regularly reads the Seventh Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and keeps copies of it in his desk drawer to hand to lawyers practicing in his court. The amendment states that the "right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States."
"The jury trial was," Sparks said, "a weapon against corrupt judges."