Supreme Court Condemns Texas Prosecutor
The Supreme Court has condemned a Texas prosecutor for using racially charged language.
Appointed to the court in 2009 by President Barack Obama, Sonia Sotomayor wrote a statement to accompany the Supreme Court’s announcement that it will not be handling a criminal case.
Sonia Sotomayor had a problem with the unidentified prosecutor for questioning an African-American defendant in a drug case. According to the Huffington Post, the offending words were:
“You’ve got African-Americans, you’ve got Hispanics, you’ve got a bag full of money. Does that tell you – a light bulb doesn’t go off in your head and say, this is a drug deal?”
According to Salon, the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, Sonia Sotomayor said the prosecutor’s statement:
“[the question] tapped a deep and sorry vein of racial prejudice that has run through the history of criminal justice in our nation. … It is deeply disappointing to see a representative of the United States resort to this basic tactic more than a decade into the 21st century. We expect the government to seek justice, not fan the flames of fear and prejudice. I hope never to see a case like this again.”
Sonia Sotomayor clearly stated that the Prosecutor’s question substituted racial stereotypes for hard evidence and for the good of the nation’s legal system, the case has been deemed inappropriate for recommendation to the Supreme Court. The Obama administration had tried to downplay the issue and move ahead with the case, Sotomayor claims.
Bongani Charles Calhoun, the defendant in the case, demanded a retrial because he believes his right to a fair trial was violated when the Prosecutor asked the question. He had three convictions of drug conspiracy, and the question was simply insulting.
The court did not take up the case on Monday, due to Bongani Charles Calhoun’s failure to raise his argument in the appeals process in time. The argument during the trial was that he was unaware of the illegal activity.
What do you think of the Supreme Court’s decision to condemn a Texas Prosecutor for racially charged language?
2 SCOTUS justices blast unnamed fed prosecutor in Texas (case tried in San Antonio) for racial trial question: 1.usa.gov/13ajSnz
— Chuck Lindell (@chucklindell) February 25, 2013
