Lady Justice
Over the course of time, various statues of Lady Justice all over the world are depicted as having a blindfold on.
Apparently, Judge Ruben Castillo forgets to wear his blindfold and is more concerned with the color of the defendants in his court rather than the judging strictly by the law.
I read Sunday’s article on ATF drug stash- house stings and the criticism of them by Judge Ruben Castillo. Castillo contends that the ATF stings disproportionately entangle black men and falsely implies that the ATF and its agents are prejudiced and racist.
Castillo trashes the ATF and their tactics, yet as it was noted in the article, the Supreme Court has ruled the agencies’ tactics as legal. Nine federal judges also ruled in favor of the ATF. However, the rule of law seems to escape the common sense of Judge Castillo, who criticized the authorities who brought the charges rather than what the evidence and law in each case stated. ( But not enough to dismiss cases because in the end, even Castillo ruled in favor of the ATF and against the defendants.)
Summer hasn’t even started, and we have already experienced a weekend during which 84 people were shot. Can the citizens of Chicago count on Judge Castillo to leave his bias outside the courtroom and protect their best interests? I have my doubts, based on the Sun- Times article.
Tony LaMantia, Logan Square
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