Just a little nit, Swordy, and I may be totally wrong. I'm muist relying on spotty memory.
But I do recall, having worked in a Federal Halfway House in my youth, that people got into the Federal system for traffic violations in say, Yosemite National Park, for instance. And another guy I know of got sentenced in Federal Court for shoplifting in Yosemite.
Though I can't imagine those type of things would go through any "indictment" process. More likely, they got a citation and showed up in Federal Court for proceedings.
The best debunker, for me, of the Jack Blacks of this world on the indictment issue is just the sheer number of filings. They don't have to "add up like homeruns in baseball". Of course they aren't just piling up as they are filed.
Some are not related to Derp activity, and some will be dispensed and the number will go down. But just the sheer number of filings (cumulatively) , as compared to years past, tells the story that we (and Q) are trying to tell.
And it is a powerful story.
Do like me, and just shake your head when they try to debunk the "sealed indictments".
Bagster
mark
Good points.
On top of all that, why would a speeding ticket be sealed??? Or even a shoplifting charge?
Just the fact that they are sealed - regardless of what the specific offense is - tells me that something serious is involved.
FReeQs, correct me if I’m wrong.
You are technically correct. I was in court once waiting for a hearing, and the magistrate judge was hearing cases on speeding tickets that were issued in Camp Pendleton and also some Indian reservation matters. The federal judges who are appointed don’t hear those things, they give them to the magistrate judges, who are hired by the court as federal employees. Those judges hear discovery disputes and small matters. The parties have to agree to have their trials in front of them.