They did it again — or rather, didn’t. Week Thirteen of SCOM inaction on the MS Bar request for J. Keith Shelton’s immediate reinstatement has come and gone.
No word for Keith Shelton
March 6th, 2008 @ 2:36 pm - by lotus · 24 Comments
Tags: J. Keith Shelton, Keith Shelton
Filed Under: Herald & Examiner
I wish some other people would chime in regarding this matter as much as they do the Scruggs saga. Why is it that the Supreme Court can’t just order Shelton reinstated and release an opinion later? This has gone past the point of being a farce. I certainly hope when these judges are up for reelection that this is a topic for discussion for their opponents.
I would hate to have my livelihood in the hands of the Mississippi Supreme Court, whom apparently are unable to come to grips with the term “immediately reinstated.”
Well, irate, here’s what I just don’t get:
If they discount the tribunal’s report and think he’s not worthy of reinstatement, what’s taking so long? If they DO believe it, what’s taking so long?
Whichever it is, they need to say so and move on.
If they can’t say he shouldn’t be reinstated, then obviously they’re saying that he should " and every week they delay that decision compounds a dysjustice they should be correcting.
This is as — no more — obnoxious than anything I’ve seen in Mississippi in all these months of close looking.
It makes no sense whatsoever, nor does the silence surrounding the entire thing. I think most attorneys are afraid to say anything because of the fact a sitting judge is involved.
I certainly hope the MSSC realizes hundreds of attorneys are looking at them to rectify this. If they don’t they will lose even more credibility.
Could the Bar (or Mr. Shelton for that matter) file some sort of motion for expedited hearing on this matter to remind them it’s there?
Irate, most of us attys have no contact with, nor could give a rats arse about the feelings of the sitting judge involved. I would certainly fall into that group. I am as outraged about the matter as you are.
But, at this point, I simply don’t know what else there is that can be done. The MS Bar, and its pertinent committee, has made its recommendation to the MS Supreme Court. Why it is taking the MSC so long to make this determination re Shelton is a mystery to me. Who knows, maybe they are trying to make sure that the wording of this opinion is written in the best possible manner, knowing that the matter has and will continue to generate a lot of public interest. And maybe they are trying to not only get it right, but to write it in such a way as to offer future guidance to the MS Bar and its members re this type of situation. There may be some harsh admonishments to certain Bar members coming. Who knows?
While I don’t claim to know the hearts and minds of the MSC justices, I do think there could be good reasons for the delay, as opposed to some type of perceived mischief. Yes, ruling sooner would be better. Certainly for Mr. Shelton.
But, for the rest of us out here, we are simply waiting like the nonlawyers are —it is out of our hands. I know of no “hot line” or “bat phone” to the MSC to use to make a call to speed things up.
DN, maybe y’all could put a bug in Bobby Bailess’s ear to do an all-call for letters and emails to the Bar requesting that the Bar file a petition for an expedited ruling? Since he’s so concerned for the profession’s image an’ all?
I’d also be interested to see what Jerry Mitchell’s answer to a known local might be on why neither he nor anyone else at the C-L has mentioned the case.
In any other state, I bet, something like this tribunal report would have gone public HUGE — and long ere this.
Now lemme see . . . how many days did SCOM need to overturn that chancellor who stopped high school football because it was just too hot outside? How many again?
I’d love to know why the CL has failed to report on this, as I communicated with them extensively about this as well as WLBT.
lotus//I think they have their ARSE in a crack and know it. Damned if they do and Damned if they don’t. They are probably working on one scenario after another trying to get it acceptable to all parties and for it to be legal. So Legal minds tell us if you were sitting there and this was on you, just what would you do. It is now in the Public Arena BIG TIME, something that very seldom every happens to The Supreams in our State.
Haven’t been following this ‘un.. what’s it all about? Why does the guy need reinstatement?
Click on the Shelton link under Pages on the left.
i think the bar’s request for “immediate” reinstatement has been per se denied given the 13 weeks that have elapsed. there should be a way for matters like this to be expedited. the supreme court can take years to decide a case while the court of appeals gives a 270 turnaround as required by the rules in almost every case.
justice delayed is justice denied.
BINGO, confounded. What — are they all high-school football coaches in their “spare” time?
Does my first suggestion at 6 appeal to anybody? Naw, huh? Drat.
SCRUGGS-BACKSTROM CASE:
Jurors will be nameless, for both sides
http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=268057&pub=1&div=News
It gets worse and worse for Scruggs & Son.
in the words of Jimmy Morrison: no one here gets out alive
I can’t believe Mississippi Judicial Performance has sat silently and done nothing at all concerning Patton. If you think Shelton and I are the only people that Patton has abused, you can think again. I’ve had several contact me directly with stories about youth court that will curl your hair!
lotus re: 6. That would require guts on the part of alot of bar members’ part. Guts are a scarce commodity among bar members. Lawyers should walk into courtrooms like 300 pound gorillas. Instead most of them act like Gollum in the trilogy.
re clarion ledger coverage? I got no idea.
This matter troubles me probably more than anything I’ve seen come out of the Scruggs affair so far. By all accounts, it appears to have exposed a seemingly concerted effort by a corrupt judge, corrupt DA, and corrupt bar investigator to railroad an attorney. The Supreme Court presumably was none the wiser, and it issued a ruling based on their actions that basically destroyed a man’s career. In other words, the “system” failed at every level possible, and now the Court has been charged with the task of righting that wrong. This is a daunting task in and of itself, before one even factors in the reality that just about every day another instance of bar / judicial corruption splashes across a newspaper or blog.
Everyone wants to see this fixed as quickly as possible, but if I’m a current justice, I’m moving very, very deliberately to make sure everything is done correctly. Furthermore, if I’m aware of any active criminal investigation of these events, I am being even more careful not to issue some ruling that might prejudice that investigation.
Not to sound unsympathetic to his plight, but I dare say that the consequences of the Court getting this one wrong (again) far outweigh the consequences to Mr. Shelton of some additional delay.
…What will happen this week? Hmm…
We’ll know in 23-or-so minutes, irate. Got my fingers crossed again.
Got a new post up for us to excoriate them on, Jane and irate.