Using taxpayer funds, government officials in Orange County have spent the last 16 years arguing the most absurd legal proposition in the entire nation: How could social workers have known it was wrong to lie, falsify records and hide exculpatory evidence in 2000 so that a judge would forcibly take two young daughters from their mother for six-and-a-half years?…
(Judge Stephen S.) Trott: “You mean to tell us due process is consistent with a government official submitting perjured testimony and false evidence? How is that consistent? I mean I hate to get pumped up about this but I’m just staggered by the claim that people in the shoes of your clients wouldn’t be on notice that you can’t use perjury and false evidence to take away somebody’s children. That to me is mind boggling.”
Go read the rest of the article, but take your favorite anti-emetic first. When the 9th Circuit Court is absolutely amazed at your legal bullshit, you know you went far.
You can backtrack it to the definition of the word “is” or plenty of other cases on the government side, but this is now the norm across the nation: “We are the Gov and we can lie because we have a vested interest that (our definition of) Justice must prevail.”
Hat tip to Bradley L.
It’s one thing when folks perjure themselves when there was no wrongdoing and end up screwing themselves for no good reason, and quite another when folks perjure themselves and commit (or perpetuate) wrongdoings against others, in either case making the incredulous claim that they didn’t know lying was wrong.
As one who had to deal with folks lying (ex-wife, former in-laws) and/or twisting stories around (supposedly neutral guardian ad litem) while going through multiple custody battles and as a single parent, I know how damaging this can be to folks having to deal with Division of Family and Children Services (or whatever it’s called in your area). I lost custody of my son for almost three years and had to spend a significant chunk of change because of it. This crap infuriates me!
Keep in mind: when the officer lies to you during his interrogation of you, that’s not lying, it’s a “ruse” or just “interrogation technique.” If you lie to the officer, of course, it’s obstruction and a crime.
Just another reason NEVER to make a statement to law enforcement without consulting an attorney.
So that 9th Circuit is trying to decide if a Stalinesque kangaroo court show trail is protected by the Constitution.
This is the kind of bullshit that paves the way for a 2A veto.
This is type of stuff that infuriates me. There just isn’t a punishment that fits the crime and there isn’t any compensation large enough to get those 6+ years back with your kids.
Requiring the social workers in question to pay back every penny they stole from the taxpayers would be a start.
And if they can’t pay, bring back debtor’s prison. You know what the punishment for being unable to pay debts actually was back in the 1500s?
It wasn’t pretty.