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US: Weird judicial system and judges

The spectacle of American courts in action is rather horrifying to those outside the country - especially in places like the UK and Australia. The thought of elected judges is just not on. But, it is not only a judicial system in the USA which is odd on so many levels, but the people who occupy the bench.

The Economist addresses the issue in a piece "Judges behaving badly" in the light of a judge who sued his dry-cleaner for US$54 million because his pants were allegedly ruined.

"A $54m lawsuit over a pair of pinstriped trousers that went missing from a Washington, DC, cleaners was thrown out by a judge this week. It had attracted worldwide ridicule. The fact that the case was brought, not by a random loony, but by a former judge has added to the sense that something is wrong not just with America's litigation laws, but with the kind of men and women Americans choose to sit in judgment over them.

A whole series of judicial misdemeanours, ranging from the titillating to the outrageous, has emerged over the past year. Take the Florida state judge, John Sloop, who was ousted after complaints about his “rude and abusive” behaviour. This included an order to strip-search and jail 11 defendants for arriving late in traffic court after being misdirected. Or the Californian judge, José Velasquez, sacked in April for a plethora of misconduct, including extending the sentences of defendants who dared question his rulings."

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