Sonny Perdue began his second term under a cloud of allegations pertaining to questionable land deals in Houston County, Florida, as well as a customized tax break for the Houston County transaction.

Formal complaints about his misuse of the Governor’s office were quickly dismissed by the Republican controlled General Assembly. The fact laden complaint was then submitted to the office of the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia and nothing has been heard of it since. That office was headed by David Nahmias.

Comingle Perdue’s steadfast refusal to answer lingering questions about his actions with his appointment of Nahmias to the state’s highest court with no prior judicial experience and questions are bound to come to mind.

Finger bitten off during California health protest

AP

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – California authorities say a clash between opponents and supporters of health care reform ended with one man biting off another man’s finger.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Capt. Frank O’Hanlon says about 100 people demonstrating in favor of health care reforms rallied Wednesday night on a street corner. One protester walked across the street to confront about 25 counter-demonstrators.

O’Hanlon says the man got into an argument and fist fight, during which he bit off the left pinky of a 65-year-old man who opposed health care reform.

A hospital spokeswoman says the man lost half the finger, but doctors reattached it and he was sent home the same night.

Re: “Legislate from the bench” language: I hope you do not mean he should value legislation over the Constitutions of Georgia and the United States. Review of legislation as it has been applied by law enforcement, agencies, and lower courts is a Supreme Court Justice’s role most of the time in the highest appellate court. If the law were not confusing (or the actions of state agents not questionable), then the Supreme Court of Georgia (or the US Supreme Court) would not take the case. The only time either political party calls it “legislating from the bench” is when the court finds that proper application of the law contradicts that party’s ideology.

September 3rd, 2009
7:57 am

JT: So how would you assign judges to the Ga Supreme Court? You must pay for competency and experience.

The first thing that I would do would be to end the ridiculous requirement of a judge to be a lawyer.
A few states still allow normal, honest people to be judges.

Just because a person took the easy way out in college by studying law shouldn’t automatically qualify him for being a judge.

And through a lifetime carreer of proscecuting, how do you measure competency?
No matter how much the state bar tries to brainwash you, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know and memorize precedents and legal codes. 98% of lawyering is just knowing how to kiss judges arses and obeying their silly protocol.

Trust me, Joe the Plumber could and would do a better job. And be more honest.

September 3rd, 2009
9:15 am
I am too poor! I do not have a job in Atlanta making the big bucks.

Focus on the Family story that J Dobson posted: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gpz_Jyp-YYgaZX6ldhX23l4ZH44gD9AFEPGG0

Gail Collins column on Sarah Palin that Churchill’s MOM posted: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/opinion/03collins.html?em

In the future, please provide the links yourselves…I’m not going to keep doing this for you (or other posters).

I’m awful glad to see this Wingfield finally letting people blog. For awhile I thought he was ducking us, sort of like the 115-lb. weakling hiding behind the teacher in the school yard.

Have a good day everybody.

President Obama’s comments about “empathy,” on the other hand, suggest that under certain other circumstances he would find it appropriate for a judge to rule based on empathy. That’s the difference.