To: The Massachusetts State House, The Massachusetts State Senate, and Governor Charlie Baker
Transparent and accountable judicial system
On May 14 Boston Globe published article "Boston judge got $550,000 in free legal help" reporting that "Boston Municipal Court Judge Raymond G. Dougan received more than $550,000 in free legal services from a top Boston law firm to defend him against bias charges."
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/05/14/judge-dougan-received-more-than-free-legal-aid-fight-bias-charges/yYjh2RoiuVqNich2KnFYsK/story.html
If a judge cannot defend himself not in court, but during investigation conducted by the Commission on Judicial Conduct and "need" more than $500,000 of pro bono of legal services who can and afford to defend himself?
We need to urge the Legislature and the Governor to reform existing law MA G.L. Ch. 211C to set the Commission of Judicial Conduct that is accountable to both the Government and Judicial Court and can investigates the judicial conduct confidentially, but make its results public and transparent when the investigation is completed. If the Courts want public trust they have to deserve it and be accountable to the public. Public trust cannot be demanded it only can be earned. The Commission of Judicial Conduct should conduct statistical research on the work of all judges in the State -- how much work they do, how often their decision overturned by the higher courts, etc.
Similarly the Government can and should re-organize the Office of the Bar Counsel that oversees actions of the attorneys and make its work more transparent and accountable to the courts. The burden to prove unprofessional and unethical conduct by attorneys is too great for their clients who often have to carry a burden to remedy the damage done to them by the attorneys. The bar to prove professional malpractice for attorneys is set much higher than for physicians, yet the Board of Medicine that oversees physicians is administrated by the State and Office of the Bar Counsel is not accountable even to the courts.
Why is this important?
The judicial system serves and protects its own interests and not the interests of citizens of the States. The courts establish self policing that does not work because it protects biased and prejudice judges even if they are not professionally qualified to sit on the bench. The judges do not want to be accountable to anyone even they are part of one of the branches of the government and constitution provides checks and balances for all branches. The life time tenure already afford judges great protection, but it does not give them a right to be above the law and conduct themselves like they can do whatever they want without any responsibility.