Discussion for article #234199
Isn’t she on 'Dance Moms?
The judge could simply have directed a verdict–as was her right–if she believed the evidence didn’t warrant sending to a jury. She was looking for the jury to do the dirty/hard work.
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Now ain’t she special.
Not sure how it works in OH, but here in PA the court can and has removed judges for what’s considered harassing jurors. I served on a jury where the judge was removed before we finished the case. He had a complaint against him for browbeating jurors during the voir dire phase. He engaged in that behavior while we were being picked. He never heard another case after that. Wonder what kind of history she has.
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In 41 years at the bar I have never heard of anything like this. Don’t Ohio judges go to judge school.
Lots of times I have had judges tell me privately that the jury didn’t find as he or she thought it would, but they have always thanked the jury for its service and have always respected their decision. .
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“The court says Salerno’s comments subjected the state’s judicial system to criticism and ridicule.”
Yeah, let’s focus on that instead of on the fact that her behavior reveals her to be a biased judge who is unfit for the bench because she clearly cannot keep her personal beliefs about the case out of her decision-making.
BTW, what color was the defendant?
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Exactly right, marz. It makes no sense for a trial judge to criticize the jury, because all the power is in the black robe. Jurors are only fact-finders, but everything else from legal questions to evidence to scheduling is outside their power. If a trial is truly one-sided, the judge can bring it to an end without the jury. She just wanted to avoid the appealable issue.
Judges need guilty verdicts in order to issue long sentences in private prisons…
Check out her bank account AND private prisons in her area.
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I don’t believe she could have. You are guaranteed a right to trial by jury. If the jury says you are not guilty, I don’t believe a judge can overrule them and say that you are guilty. Moreover, a judge can’t deny you the right to try your case before a jury if you insist.
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If they got it wrong…its her fault. The jury’s job is to deliver a verdict. The Judges job is to maintain a proper Court environment to ensure that Jury can do that. If the Jury “gets it wrong” it’s because they had it wrong at the get go, in that Judges Court…when they left to deliberate.
If you give this deeper thought you’d probably draw the conclusion this Judge should no longer be Judging. Like a doctor that doesn’t know the difference in a scalpel from a stethoscope, this Judge acted ( she did not err…her actions were intentional ) so out of line and on such a fundamental level she cannot be fit to continue.
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Ten Quatloos says she’s a registered republican and has a contribution record on Open Secrets.
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This story gives no context, and very little information. Clearly the judge’s actions were inappropriate, but I wonder why a story like this is up when there is absolutely no information about the case included in it.
Jury nullification does happen, and some have said that OJ’s trial was just such an example. If the judge thought that there was inordinate and subjective sympathy between the defendant and the jury what would her recourse be? Regardless of that, what she ultimately did was unprofessional and incorrect.
I would like to know more about this for my own curiosity though.
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You are right and wrong. A judge cannot direct a guilty verdict in a criminal matter, but may dismiss such a case at anytime. I was thinking of civil cases only, for some reason, when I posted before; wherein a judge may direct a verdict for either side before or even after a jury verdict (the latter being a “judgment notwithstanding the verdict”). Since this was likely a criminal matter, my original comment was inapt. Thank you for helping me clarify this.
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She’s a former republican Ohio state rep and according to Wiki, “… she was ranked as the worst judge in the Columbus Bar Association survey in 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013.” Nuff said.
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I hate to repeat myself but as a first generation italian american I am so ashamed of Italians who prove themselves over and over to be racists. I grew up in a household full of them.
Anyone know the back story?
You are correct. A judge may direct a verdict or grant judgment notwithstanding the verdict for either side in a civil case or for the defendant in a criminal case, but cannot direct one against a criminal defendant ever. Double Jeopardy Clause and Sixth Amendment.
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OMG. One of those.
Since this happened in 2013, she probably ran unopposed that year.
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