Jonesin' for Good Judges

I guess I'm jonesin' on this whole judicial appointment thing and here's why: I believe if most people knew the negative effect conservative idealogues have on people's lives, we would see less of them appointed.

Here is an example of the justice system at work, all its flaws and strengths in plain view.

Shown by DNA testing to have been wrongly convicted of rape in 1988, Mr. Moon was released from prison at a court hearing here on Tuesday afternoon - the latest among 154 men and women in the United States exonerated by such tests.

Mr. Moon and his parents were in the packed courtroom to hear the El Paso district attorney, Jaime Esparza, apologize for the wrongful conviction, for himself and for the State of Texas. With them were Barry Scheck, a lawyer from New York whose 12-year-old Innocence Project has accounted for more than half of those exonerated, and another lawyer from Mr. Scheck's office, Nina Morrison.

I guess it is good news it didn't take more than 17 years, but holy crap, 17 years is 17 years. The whole system has to be in balance for people to make it through fair and square, fair prosecutors, defense lawyers, invetigators, jusges, and juries. It makes a huge difference in any case to have a fair judge in control.

And despite all the good work good people do, think of the thousands of people in prison, including death row, who are not guitly of the crimes they are charged with committing. No worry for Mr. Preznit, once their appeals are exhausted he figures they must be guilty, lets get on with things shall we? people like Bush don't understand that conviction is not the same thing as guilt. That's why we must reduce the margin of error by appointing good judges, not the idealogues Bush nominates.