Waterloo man involved in federal lawsuit calling for change in [Iowa] judicial selection

Waterloo Courier ^ | December 10, 2010 | AP and Courier staff

[AnAmericanMother]

Well, if somebody's going to sit as judge on a criminal trial, he had better darned well know who Mr. Jackson and Mr. Denno are before he gets there, or the entire bar is going to think he's an idiot.

Every criminal lawyer whose client was stupid enough to talk to the cops asks for a Jackson-Denno hearing to try to argue that the statement wasn't knowing and voluntary. I have never practiced criminal law (thank goodness) -other than going to traffic court occasionally- but even I know that one, just from sitting through the arraignment calendar waiting for the summary judgments to be heard.

[muawiyah]

My favorite event was the time I was sitting in court waiting for our guy to give an argument in a motion to beat down Harry Helmsley and his evil wife Leona.

Wasn't that so much it was the MasterCard/VisaCard lawyer who was pushing through the suits on people who'd quit paying on their credit cards.

He was getting judgment after judgment and every now and then he'd take a break and a different lawyer would take over.

He'd get up and go out in the corridor but he had a COKE SPOON for a tie clip.

He'd come back refreshed and ready to go again and the other lawyer would leave.

I spoke to the bailiff at the door about the matter and he'd MISSED the coke spoon. Next time the guy went out the door a couple of cops followed him and busted him.

FUNNNNEEEEEE!

NOTE: That's a 1965 case. By now you'd think someone would come up with a better name for a common plea than a couple of names. Here's where you need a professional wordsmith ~ or member of the Nomenklatura as they would have said in the USSR.

[Elle Bee]

there is really no reason for a judge to have to be a member of the state bar

a few more common folk would bring a lot of common sense to the bench - but that would break up the full employmet for lawyers game as it is now run

.

[AnAmericanMother]

Dang - I guess the coke hit NYC early.

I think it got shortened from "a hearing under Jackson v. Denno to determine voluntariness of a custodial statement." And it was too entrenched by the time everybody realized it was a little obscure. My favorite criminal defense shorthand is "reveal the deal" - in other words if somebody's turned state's evidence the defendant is entitled to know what amount of time he got off in exchange for his testimony. You will actually see pleadings titled "MOTION TO REVEAL THE DEAL". There's your common parlance!