Expatriate Owl

A politically-incorrect perspective that does not necessarily tow the party line, on various matters including but not limited to taxation, academia, government and religion.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Trading Time

Well, folks, the latest big league player trade seems to have given good value for value.

The bad news: Dr. Jack Kevorkian has been released from prison, and is now back in the game of suicide legalization.

The good news: The Dishonorable Gerald P. Garson, of whom this blog recently posted, has been led away to jail in handcuffs to serve his 3 - 10 year sentence. Brooklyn ex-politico Clarence Norman went along with ex-Judge Garson in the trade.

My two comments on this "player trade":

A. The only assurance the public has that Garson will serve his full sentence, without any parole, probation or pardon, is for him to actually serve the time. Garson's bench bum buddy Victor Barron, who was sentenced to 3 - 9 years for bribery, only served about 4, with work release to a half-way house facility after less than 2 years behind bars. I would be very, very surprised if Garson does anywhere near the maximum.


B. Having been born, raised, and attended law school in a jurisdiction other than the State of New York, this initially confused me, so I shall give the reader the benefit of my experience. In New York, that tribunal known as the "Supreme Court" is in fact the lowest court of general jurisdiction. Separate "Supreme Courts" are to be found in each of New York's counties. In normal states, such tribunals are called "Superior Courts" or "Courts of Common Pleas" or "Circuit Courts." Not so in New York.

In the Empire State, the cases go from the Supreme Court, to the Supreme Court Appellate Division, to the Court of Appeals (actually, this is an oversimplification; there are other inferior courts (in one if not both senses of the word) of limited jurisdiction, the busiest of which is the Civil Court of the City of New York.

But to people who have not spent much time in New York, the term "Supreme Court" conjures up august images of pomp and splendor associated with high-ranking tribunals. Like here, where Garson is referred to as an "Ex-N.Y. High Court Judge." Please, stop insulting the judges who really do sit on the high courts (or, wait a minute! Some of them are not much better than Garson or Barron!).


So the big trade has been consummated: Garson for Kevorkian! But if Garson's health issues act up while he is in the big house, maybe Dr. Kevorkian ought to be brought in to treat him.


UPDATE: Garson was released on bail a few hours later, pending arguments as to whether he should stay free pending his appeal.

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