Because of his son's ties to the Alabama Republican Party, Swatek gets all kinds of favorable treatment from GOP judges in Shelby County, where we live. I've always been respectful of authority figures. Like many Americans, I assumed that people who wear robes and are called "your honor" are, in fact, honorable people. It's sobering when you realize that is not the case.
Perhaps my biggest surprise was how blatant the corruption was. In my case, neither the corrupt judges nor lawyers did anything to hide what they were doing. Our courts are so packed with cases that the bad guys apparently have little fear of being caught. I strongly encourage anyone involved in a legal case to educate themselves at a nearby law library. Don't rely on what a lawyer (yours or the other person's) says. And certainly don’t assume that the judge is ruling correctly.
What did you do when you discovered the system was stacked against you?
Having been a newspaper reporter for a long time, I was used to the idea that people can act in corrupt ways. I read that one of the most stressful events in life is to be sued. To be sued and be cheated by the very people who are supposed to administer justice makes it far worse. With an honest judge, this lawsuit against me would have been resolved in about eight months time and cost us maybe $2,000. the whole experience dragged on eight or nine years, and cost tens of thousands of dollars.
I've never been in a fight, but I'm guessing a lawsuit is a little like being in a long, drawn-out boxing match. You take some punches, some you see coming and some that surprise you. You try to throw some punches, too. But in our case, the referee (judge) has kept our hands tied behind our backs. Maybe that's why I started the blog. That's the one place where I could truly punch back. In the short term, the decision to expose wrongdoing did cost me my job.
What about the long term?
Maybe it's too early to tell. Being without a job in this economy is rough. But I hope I've done a little something to further the cause of justice and shine light on a problem (judicial corruption) that needs to be addressed.
Thank you, Roger. Readers: stay tuned for part two of this interview. More on the Siegelman case and Shuler’s take on the Obama administration so far.
Perhaps my biggest surprise was how blatant the corruption was. In my case, neither the corrupt judges nor lawyers did anything to hide what they were doing. Our courts are so packed with cases that the bad guys apparently have little fear of being caught. I strongly encourage anyone involved in a legal case to educate themselves at a nearby law library. Don't rely on what a lawyer (yours or the other person's) says. And certainly don’t assume that the judge is ruling correctly.
What did you do when you discovered the system was stacked against you?
Having been a newspaper reporter for a long time, I was used to the idea that people can act in corrupt ways. I read that one of the most stressful events in life is to be sued. To be sued and be cheated by the very people who are supposed to administer justice makes it far worse. With an honest judge, this lawsuit against me would have been resolved in about eight months time and cost us maybe $2,000. the whole experience dragged on eight or nine years, and cost tens of thousands of dollars.
What about the long term?
Maybe it's too early to tell. Being without a job in this economy is rough. But I hope I've done a little something to further the cause of justice and shine light on a problem (judicial corruption) that needs to be addressed.
Thank you, Roger. Readers: stay tuned for part two of this interview. More on the Siegelman case and Shuler’s take on the Obama administration so far.
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