Order in the court
PC gone wild
Regarding “Lights, camera, bigotry” (Page A13, March 4), the editorial states: “We expect our judges to display a judicious temperament from the bench — one that emphasizes integrity and equality before the law” and excoriates Judge Michael McSpadden for, in your editorialist’s opinion, his lack of those qualities.
Perhaps your editorialist could enlighten Houstonians as to why a white male judge shouldn’t express opinions based on his cumulative experiences on the bench while the first Latina female Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, stated before being approved to that position: “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”
The Supreme Court’s primary function is to apply the U.S. Constitution to cases and issues the Court agrees to hear. It would be interesting to learn how Justice Sotomayor’s wisdom and richness of experience better qualify her than a white male to interpret the Constitution. Does the editorial board credit Sotomayor’s statement as displaying a judicious temperament, one that emphasizes integrity and equality before the law?
Or, more likely, isn’t the entire crusade against McSpadden an attack on his perceived political incorrectness than judicial misconduct? I submit, on the part of his accusers, it isn’t simply political correctness driving them. It is political correctness on steroids.
Neil Stovall, Houston
Broad brush
Regarding “Judging the judge” letters (Page A31, Sunday), one letter quotes Judge McSpadden as saying that young black males “are not receiving good advice from their parents as did my generation.” I am not sure what good advice he received, but it does not seem to have included a good grounding in statistics, a lack shared by several of the letter writers.
The assumption seems to be that his experience as Harris County’s longest-serving felony judge or what he has witnessed over the years in his courtroom has given him a representative sample to make such a statement about all young black males. His courtroom sample is not statistically representative of all young black men since the sample was not properly selected from the overall population, but arrested.
Further, to judge as not eligible all young black men and others requesting no-cash bail is unjust even if, as he said, “Almost everyone here has been tainted …” A judge should understand the concept of innocent until proven guilty. I thus also disagree with one writer who believes the judge knows the difference between “statistical statements” and “adjudications about individuals.”
Craig W. Lamison, Houston