Free Republic

With Equal Justice for All? The Inequality of Separate but Equal March 15, 2006 By Carol Turoff Arizona prosecutor shows unwavering determination in challenging race-based courts. During his campaign for Maricopa County Attorney, Andrew Thomas drew a line in the sand. In the greater Phoenix area, illegal immigration is a polarizing issue of immense proportions. His eye-catching, red and white, triangular campaign signs bellowed out, Stop Illegal Immigration. Opponents charged the office had no jurisdiction over the matter. But the pragmatic Thomas was resolute–and he triumphed, beating out five primary challengers and devastating his Democrat rival. As elected prosecutor, the...

Almost 43 years after Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, “separate but equal” still exists in Maricopa County, Arizona.Under the guise of multiculturalism, the Presiding Judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court, Barbara Mundell, has set up separate race-based courts for defendants convicted of aggravated DUI’s. Defendants who speak Spanish are sent to their own Hispanic court, which is conducted by Judge Mundell in Spanish. Prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation officers, and members of the public must ask for headphones, if available, to have the proceedings translated into English. Very little is recorded, so it...