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Quality
Service By
On a
recent November morning, the headlines announced that a nine-year-old
girl was placed in the custody of a convicted sex offender who had
again offended. How could that happen? One reporter stated, “Unfortunately, we can’t
know the answer to what factors weighed on the judge’s decision, what
was going through his mind.” Judicial
ethics prevented the judge from discussing the decision. The MSBA needed to investigate and respond,
if necessary. It was
important that we determine the facts and for me, that was the easy
part. I turned to the executive director, Given
the defendant’s reported admission of guilt, it is easy to see that
he should not have been given custody of the young girl he is charged
with sexually molesting. Ideally,
he wouldn’t have had any contact with the girl.
However, the judge wasn’t dealing with the ideal; he was dealing
with the reality of a little girl who didn’t have a responsible parent
to care for her. The sexual
assault for which he was convicted happened about 12 years ago when
he was 19 and the victim was 14. Since
then, the 31-year-old has been described as a “success story” of his
County Community Corrections. The
defendant and the child’s mother had a living arrangement that produced
two other children and all five resided together until the mother
left, abandoning the three children with him.
Court Services conducted a custody study and recommended that
the defendant be awarded custody of the girls.
The girl’s mother joined in the request and there was no opposition
to it. Consequently, the judge
did not change the living arrangement of the family.
The state’s
major publications included these additional facts, making subsequent
articles more complete. Credit
for the prompt action is shared by the staff and the Fair Response
Committee. Following
this episode, Additionally,
Tim and his predecessors have assembled an exceptional staff. The staff come from
different backgrounds, each with a unique set of skills, but they
have become parts of a unit, a team.
After working with them, one cannot help but come away feeling
that they are really a special and vital part of the Association. To LEGISLATIVE
ACTION NETWORK While
we’re on the subject of service to members, I am pleased to announce
the new MSBA Legislative Grassroots Action Network. The purpose of
the Network is to inform MSBA members about legislative issues so
that they can in turn influence their legislators and other policymakers.
Elected
officials need advice on legislation from informed constituents in
order to make important legislative decisions.
As a member of the legal profession, you are uniquely qualified
to offer your expertise on a wide range of issues affecting the law
and the community. Members
who are willing to participate are encouraged to sign up to become
MSBA Grassroots Action Network Delegates. You can sign up online by
going to the MSBA Web site: click on the “Legislation” button, then
click on Being
a delegate means being willing to write and/or call your state senator
or representative when an important issue affecting the legal community
arises in Additional
information is available under the “Legislation” heading on the MSBA
Web site at www.mnbar.org. Help us to extend quality service to MSBA members
and legislators alike by signing up to serve as a delegate. Get involved in the Grassroots Network and assist
the legislative efforts of attorneys across
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