Equal Justice Under the Law?

Staffers of Arizona Representatives and Senators: You can click here to skip directly to the preamble and complaint.

I tripped across a story about an officer of the court in Yavapai county—that's Judge Hinson's county—who was charged with fraud last Fall. More specifically, she was charged with "fraudulent schemes."

Remind you of anyone?

Her crime? "A court clerk has been charged with embezzling funds paid to the Verde Valley Justice Court."

Hmmm... what if she had been a judge, instead of a clerk, who had embezzled funds paid to the Superior court, instead of the Justice Court? Would she have been prosecuted?

"She is charged with fraudulent schemes, three counts of theft and computer tampering."

Hmmm... if a judge structured his monthly Certifications, so that he wouldn't be picked up by the Clerk's Quarterly audits for fraud, wouldn't that be a "scheme?" And isn't taking money that's not yours "theft?"

Unfortunately for this woman, even though she was an officer of the court, she wasn't a judge. Had she been a judge, she might have gotten a different type of "equal justice."

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