.jpg){kind=link}
Magistrates are judges who can be hand-picked by politicians. Since they don’t have to be qualified, they may have less training than a barber – but they still get to make decisions about people’s lives! The details of how bad it gets are pretty scary to consider.
South Carolina exemplifies the problem. A ProPublica investigation found that magistrates “accepted bribes, [stole] money, flubbed trials, trampled over constitutional protections and mishandled even the most basic elements of criminal cases.” It exposes “the law” for what it is.
Nearly 75% of magistrates in South Carolina have never practiced law in their life! Remember this next time you hear someone talking about upholding “law and order.” It’s not just magistrates, either: judges throughout the nation get away with a lot!
Another investigation found that between 2008 and 2019, nine out of every ten judges were allowed to return to the bench after misconduct. Racism, sexual violations, DUIs, and more were excused so those in power could maintain their right to judge us! This is a widespread problem.
The corruption of officials who have the power to decide matters of life and death for people is not an irregular occurrence. If we want injustice gone, we have to get rid of an unjust system. A white supremacist system of judgment and punishment is NOT helping!