A disbarred Gallatin , Tennessee criminal defense lawyer who was found guilty of smuggling drugs into the Sumner County jail has lost her appeal for judicial diversion in the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. Jocelyn Mimms was convicted of conspiracy and attempt to introduce contraband into a penal facility. Ms.Mimms was sentenced to serve
Sentencing Issues
The Loss of Judical Independence
By Rob McKinney on
Posted in Sentencing Issues
The fallout from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in United Citizens v The FEC continues even at The State Of The Union Address. Retired Supreme Court Judge Sandra Day O’Connor weighed in on a controversial decision by her former colleagues.Nina Totenberg of NPR iinterviewed Justice O’Connor about the ruling.Justice O’Connor reminded us that our nation’s founder’s biggest issue it had with King George was the absence of judicial Independence.
In Alabama , a record amount of $ 14.5 million dollars was spent for a single judicial seat. The Court’s ruling now opens the floodgates for judicial elections in Tennessee and elsewhere.Justice O’Connor opines " the majority in Citizens United has signaled that the problem of campaign contributions in judicial elections might get considerably worse".In striking down the ban on corporate contributions last week O’Connor further stated that " ignoring the role of special-interest money , particularly in judicial elections , is like ignoring an alligator in your bath tub".