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Keller @ Large: Boston Judge Accused Of Bias

BOSTON (CBS) - Highest praise to the Boston Globe for its mind-blowing story on Sunday about Boston Municipal Court Judge Raymond Dougan, currently under investigation by the Judicial Conduct Commission for allegedly being, as the Suffolk County DA puts it, "a clearly biased judge who ignores the law and threatens public safety."

From the Globe story: "Dougan may be the most lenient judge in Boston, a prosecutor's nightmare whose decisions are appealed by district attorneys far more often than any other judge in the Boston Municipal Court system, court records show. Appeals courts overturn his decisions the most, too, more than once including stern warnings that he should follow the law instead of his personal feelings.... A Globe review of scores of cases decided by Dougan reveals a pattern of rejecting police testimony while extending second chances to criminals whose rap sheets go on for pages."

Listen to Jon's commentary:

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The Globe goes on to provide appalling detail of the crimes committed by some of the folks this judge has turned loose in the past, so what we're looking at is a clear and present danger to the community and the rule of law.

But in typical fashion, Judge Dougan's cronies are circling the wagons around him. His boss, chief justice Charles Johnson, calls him "conscientious," and the Globe reports he has resisted efforts to get this guy off the criminal bench. And an official with the Mass. Trial Lawyers Association had the nerve to dismiss the judge's alleged transgressions as just "independently exercising his discretion."

Listen, it's right there in the constitution – "a judge should be faithful to the law." The Globe makes a compelling case that this judge thinks his whims are the law, and public safety be damned. If they're proven right, those wagons better uncircle fast, because we can't and won't tolerate professional backscratching that treats the public interest as a joke.

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