Posted on 09/26/2007 12:42:57 PM PDT by shrinkermd
Sen. Larry Craig's actions an airport bathroom stall in June didn't constitute a crime and he should be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea, Craig's lawyer argued today. In a 45-minute hearing covered by a crowd of local and national media, William Martin faced skeptical questioning from Hennepin County District Court Judge Charles Porter, Jr. Porter said he doesn't expect to rule on Craig's petition for at least a week and a half.
"Seeking to have a guilty plea overturned is nearly impossible and it should be," Martin acknowledged during the hearing. But he also argued that Craig's plea was not voluntary, intelligent or accurate.
He said that Craig's behavior at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport -- tapping and bumping his foot, sliding his hand under the bathroom stall and peeking into a stall -- does not equal disorderly conduct.
Martin said, "Craig vehemently denied committing or attempting to commit any crime."
Judge Porter countered that the disorderly conduct statute is intentionally broad and is intended to catch behavior that makes other people uncomfortable. Porter peppered Martin with a series of questions.
Metropolitan Airports Commission prosecutor Christopher Renz argued that Craig's attempt to withdraw his plea was flawed because it was filed too late and that he committed the crime by engaging in "a series of invasions into the stall space next to him."
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
Yes, and up to 40 of them have or will appeal to a jury trial.
The judge says he may need up to a week-and-a-half to render a decision.
I'll betcha a Duncan doughnut that he puts off his resignation from the House due to the "pending court decision."
Then, I bet he rescinds his decision to resign.....period.
Leni
Did they plead guilty also?
I don’t know, but the “privacy stature” they are being tried on was designed two years ago to prevent men from taking pictures of girls in the bathroom.
This statute was never used until the present time for any “homosexual hunts.” It was used by the airport people and rounded up fifty or so individuals—none of whom asked for or acted in a sexual manner.
Really? I thought it pleaded guilty.
Hey guys we are being pretty rough on ole wide stance, how about we all chip in and buy him a sixpack of Miller as a going away present. Kind of our way of saying “Larry, you suck”.
>> He has been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion on what others think he wanted to do rather than what he actually did.
Whatever are you talking about?
The perv plead GUILTY — while the crime he VOLUNTARILY PLEAD GUILTY TO was NOT known to the public!
C’mon, get real. Craig is not a retarded person or something that the state is taking advantage of. He’s a senator! Jokes aside, he darn well knows what he pleaded to and why he made the plea.
SWR is a crime in all 50 states!
( SWR= Swishing While Republican)
Craig’s misadventure in the outhouse, true or false, has branded him. If Larry stumbled into this mess by accident I am sorry for him. However, to the public he is just another Republican guilty of lewd behavior. The party just does not need this at any time. So long Senator Craig.
My understanding is that there are homo websites that, if one is inclined, lists local public facilities where this activity occurs. This airport bathroom was notorious for such activity. That's why the cops had an ongoing sting. Vice cops are paid to know the signs. I find it hard to believe that they just arrested 40 guys for using the bathroom. Maybe it's me, but I've used public restrooms for over 40 years and I've never touched another man's foot.
I think he would prefer a bottle of a nice chardonnay.
Unfortunately no one can deny that right or wrong, Craig lacked the leadership skills to realize that, legally, his legal position now is the one he would have been advised to take in the first place, if he had consulted a lawyer; and the one he should have taken originally.
It would not have completely avoided the “scandal” because it still would have become public and no matter how he makes his plea, the public will judge him, either way, regardless.
He can’t resign from the House, since he is a Senator.
I hope he continues with his plan to resign. He’d be a fool to do anything else.
As for being guilty of whatever he pled guilty to ... was it disturbing the peace? ... I guess it’s no more entrapment than having a police officer solicit prostitutes, but I think all of that is wrong.
If a working girl wants to work... it’s no big deal to me.
And if a guy wants to have weird bathroom sex, I don’t care about that either, although he could well be accused of reckless endangerment to his wife.
The main thing is the risk either of those behaviors poses to the wife... but I don’t know that the law applies to that.
“Maybe it’s me, but I’ve used public restrooms for over 40 years and I’ve never touched another man’s foot.”
ROFL that simple perspective is missing in this entire thread - how many people here would find any in-stall signal communication, even just foot-tapping in response to the next stall, normal?
You might if you had a kid who needed a rest room....
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