Should this Judge be removed?

Question

Judge Savage of Maryland 6th Circuit Court dismissed this case Mahamu Kanneh, accused of rape of a seven year girl, because they didn't have an interperter that spoke Vai. Even though he graduated from a English speaking school and was attending college, and he spoke English to the police.

More Details:
http://mocoprogressive.blogspot.com/2007/08/state-delegate-wants-judge-savage.html

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2007/07/child-rape-case-falls-apart-on.html

http://washingtontimes.com/article/20070726/METRO/107260053/home.html

Fortunately, he has been re arrested.

I think Maryland residents should contact their State representatives and the Commission on Judical Disabilities

Room 1.210
100 Community Place
Crownsville, MD 21032
[phone]

Answer 1

Sometimes the law says stupid things, and the judges have no choice but to do as the law says. It's not the judge's fault, it's the fault of the legislators who wrote the law governing translation of courtroom proceedings.

Answer 2

The Judge didn't violate any ethical rules -- so he cannot be disciplined just because you don't like the result.

And if you look at the details of the case, it wasn't dismissed because there was no interpreter -- it was dismissed because the prosecution didn't do everything it needed to do (including filing certain motions related to the interpretor issue) in a timely manner.

The Judge should have dismissed the case in under a year, under constitutional requirements for a speedy trial. Instead, the Judge allowed the prosecution MUCH longer to get its act together -- the prosecution dropped the ball.

Because the prosecution wasn't ready to proceed, the judge had no choice but to follow constitutional requirements and dismiss the case. Don't blame the judge for following the law, just becasue the law required something you don't like.

Answer 3

The judge is only following international law. There's no point in trying this guy if a conviction will just be overturned, and under the circumstance you describe, the conviction would be overturned.

Answer 4

we live in an age of political correctness logic subsumes to b/s :(

Answer 5

sad