The City of Troy, New York, "Where Henry Hudson Turned Around."

Friday, September 02, 2005

HURRICANE TRISH SET TO HIT HALLS OF JUSTICE

Jack Casey is a lawyer, author, party chairman and now a comedian. In announcing the candidacy of Trish DeAngelis for County Court Judge, Casey had this to say:


"I think she is the best candidate for the new judicial position," said county GOP Chairman Jack Casey. "She has a stellar grasp of the law, which is second to none, and above that I think she is dedicated to the pursuit of justice."


Now that is funny. Lets look at what another lawyer has to say about DeAngelis. This lawyer is a registered Republican and actually does have not only a stellar grasp of the law, but is well-respected by the bench and bar alike.


"That office has enormous power and justice is the obligation, but that responsibility has eluded her," Jones said. "She does not have a balanced view of the role of the DA's office in a high-profile case. There is a lack of mature judgment."He added, "She is vindictive and retributive and sees herself as an avenging angel. In an overly emotional state, she becomes reckless."


That about sums it up!

As for a stellar grasp of the law? Lets take a look at that for a minute. First, she's been overturned at least twice for prosecutorial misconduct, allowing defendants a second bite at the apple. Being overturned for misconduct shows anything but a stellar grasp of the law, the courtroom or respect for the presiding judge. Sorry, we like DA's who get convictions that stick.

Now on to a smaller matter in the grand scheme of things. We're not going to delve into the underlying facts of this case at this time. Instead lets look at a no-brainer.

The Penal Law allows for something called an ACOD (Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal). Essentially, its a plea bargain for suspects that aren't violent and have no criminal history. An ACOD is not actually a plea. Instead, according to the law, if a person keeps their nose clean for 6 months, the charges will automatically be dropped. During that six month time frame the District Attorney's Office can reinstate the charges at anytime.

The rationale behind an ACOD is fairly obvious to anyone with a less than stellar grasp of the law. Anyone can stay out of trouble for a month, two months or even three months. A real troublemaker will be unable to stay out of trouble for half a year.

Here is an ACOD under DeAngelis' watch:


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Another defendant in the same case received another 30 day ACOD. A 30 day ACOD is not sanctioned by the law. ACOD's are for 6 months, that's it (for some marijuana charges there may be a 1 year ACOD). There are no 30 day ACOD's. Not under the law.

According to one source, DeAngelis explained that "She could offer a one day ACOD if she wanted to."

No, Trish, you can't. We have laws and you either don't understand them or you ignore them. We're not sure which is worse. On second thought, ignoring them is worse. Ignorance can be cured.

That's just one example of Trish's stellar grasp of the law. Lets not forget her "personal assistant" Katrine Ellis. Trish's pal got to go to school and collect her $62,000 salary. We understand that Bob Mirch may become DeAngelis' new personal assistant.

Then there's the 14+ defections from the Rensselaer County District Attorney's office. That's fourteen in under three years. That's some leadership ability.

This should not be a partisan issue. There are many qualified Republicans that are mature and balanced enough to dispense justice. DeAngelis isn't one of them. This is a cynical nomination and will only further embarrass Rensselaer County in the legal community.

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