Free Republic

The Palm Beach judge who has thus far refused to release grand jury records in the Jeffrey Epstein case has both professional and family ties to three of the politicians who have a stake in keeping those records secret, the Miami Herald has learned. Krista Marx, the Palm Beach chief judge who also heads a panel that polices judicial conduct, has potential conflicts of interest involving three prominent players embroiled in the Epstein sex-trafficking saga: State Attorney Dave Aronberg, who has been sued by the Palm Beach Post to release the grand jury records; Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, whose department’s favored...

Florida Sen. Lauren Book has reached out to Capitol police after receiving an anonymous warning connected to her demand for a state inquiry into Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw’s handling of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s lenient work release program, the Miami Herald has learned. Book, a vocal advocate for child sexual assault survivors, said she also received more than a dozen calls by Bradshaw’s political supporters asking her to back off on her call for an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into Bradshaw. (snip) Book, in an interview with the Herald, said she also asked the...

Fender benders and minor traffic stops aren't supposed to send someone to jail. But that's the risk faced by immigrants living in Palm Beach County without U.S. citizenship, local religious activists say. A coalition of nearly 30 religious congregations maintains that too often identification problems and citizenship questions result in the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office taking someone to jail who otherwise just would have faced a ticket or a requirement to appear in court.People Engaged in Active Community Efforts, or PEACE, maintains that jailing immigrants after minor traffic offenses because of citizenship questions is unfair, adds costs for taxpayers...