Here is an excerpt of another gem (subscription) from yesterday’s Albuquerque Journal:
Metropolitan Court judges voted Tuesday to sever their relationship with an anti-DWI group because it released judges’ conviction rates in October.
“The DWI Resource Center became a partisan organization when it issued those rankings” before the November election, said Janet Blair, a Metro Court Spokeswoman. “The judges wish to avoid that and deal only with organizations that are non-partisan.”
It appears our judges are not very proud of their track records. They would prefer the public not be aware of their abysmal average conviction rate of 70%. But, do they attempt to fix it? No, first they plead innocent to the charge by pointing out that the DWI-Resource Center number is low because they include dismissed cases. Next, they deliver the verdict that this is nothing more than partisan politics. Finally, they can move to the next item on their docket, endangering the lives of our citizens by putting drunk drivers back on the road again, and again, and again, and again…..
There is one glaring problem. The accusation against the DWI-Resource Center of partisan attacks seems ripe for dismissal in a court of law. You see, it was just Sunday that I read (subscription):
Gov. Bill Richardson and the chief justice of the state Supreme Court will hold a summit next Saturday to attack the “alarmingly high dismissal rates” of DWI cases in New Mexico.
I wonder if the Metropolitan Court Judges are also victims of the Grand Conspiracy.