Posted on 06/20/2024 1:35:22 PM PDT by gitmo
An Oregon judge is facing heat for allowing second graders to serve as special jurors in a hit-and-run trial that occurred in April.
The heat against Judge Ulanda Watkins is being applied by Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth. Earlier this month Wentworth wrote a letter to a higher-level judge, Judge Michael Wetzel, raising alarms about Watkins’ conduct.
Wentworth wrote in the letter that “a large group of second graders entered the courtroom, presumably as part of a field trip from a local elementary school,” during the hit-and-run trial, as reported by The Oregonian.
The students were reportedly on a field trip from St. John the Apostle School in Oregon City.
Watkins allegedly told the kids they’d help “decide what happened” in the case.
“The second graders were then allowed to sit in the jury box, just feet away from the defendant, and were given notepads, just like an actual sworn jury would receive,” Wentworth wrote.
He added that Watkins even told the students they could interrupt the trial if they couldn’t hear a witness.
“There was no inquiry of either party as to whether they consented to this process or consideration given to the victim who was equally confused by what was taking place,” Wentworth wrote.
Responding to this story on social media, critics said the judge was out of her mind:
(Excerpt) Read more at americanwirenews.com ...
In eastern Washington there is a town called George (about 25 miles west of Moses Lake), right off the interstate. When my family was driving across the state many years ago we stopped in George, Washington, but I don’t remember if we sent any postcards from there.
They are in the Catholic system. The Archbishop is excellent. Likely solid through at least 5th grade.
Clown World...truly Clown World.
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