Wednesday, September 30, 2009

 

Today is her first day on the Basi Virk / BC Rail trial. "All rise please" for Madam Justice Anne MacKenzie

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Confirmed: Pre-trial conference begins at 9:00 AM. Open to the public.

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Comments:
I am excited to hear how Mad JAM (no disrespect) first day on the case goes.

I did not know She was the Judge for the Marc Emery case back in May 2009.

"B.C. Judge Agrees To Delay of Marc Emery U.S. Extradition Hearing
A judge has agreed to adjourn the extradition hearing for marijuana activist Marc Emery that was scheduled to begin next week.

Emery’s lawyer, Ian Donaldson, told B.C. Supreme Court Madam Justice Anne Mackenzie he needed more time to finalize an agreement with U.S. prosecutors that would end the need for the hearing.

snip
Kerry Swift, a lawyer for the federal justice department, told the judge she had spoken to her superiors in Ottawa and they were opposed to the adjournment.

She noted the case had already been delayed a number of times and previous negotiations to resolve the matter had gone off the rails.

But the judge said she accepted that Donaldson had made efforts to resolve the case and agreed to put off the matter for several weeks."

So She isnt a yes man/woman

http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/bc-judge-agrees-delay-marc-emery-us-extradition-hearing

EM
 
Lets hope she can get this slow moving train up to speed. One of the first questions I would ask is why Bill B, our special prosecutor took 9 months off? He should be charged with hindering and slowing down of this case. Start with that one, I have many more questions for the new judge.
 
A message for commentors:

Recently I've had to delete quite a few nasty messages. I'm disappointed to see the brainless bullying of others. Being able to hurl insults isn't the mark of a superior intellect; quite the reverse.

Just so you know: I won't tolerate pointless, hurtful comments. They do no good.

And just so everybody knows:

any honest opinion, whether it's the "amateur" point of view from Aunt Mabel or the professional opinion from a hotshot lawyer, they are welcome and very much appreciated.

Say whatever you'd like to say ... join the discussion ... and be courteous.

Now, could we please just get along like civilized British Columbians?
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The information in the first comment above by EM is heartening - giving one a reason to hope for both impartiality and a shift toward speedy resolution. It is clear to me though who is responsible for the unacceptable delays in this case to date, and it is obviously not a typical case of defense lawyers' strategy of a delay is almost as good as an aquittal.

One can only hope that any uptick in tempo is brought about by holding the government, RCMP and special friends of Gord accountable and demanding their co-operation with disclosure orders rather than simply telling the defense to get on with it in the absence of such due process.

If the pushing forward of the Eleven B application turns out to be merely an excuse to terminate the trial as soon as possible and leave certain peoples' dirty laundry buried and effectively aid and abet the cover-up, an egregious miscarriage of justice will have been perpetrated and this trial will be just another misdeed in the Campbell Crime Families ongoing victimization of the people of our province.

I can also concur with Mary about the need for civility in this discussion and she has done a yeoman's job of wrangling the cats that comment here. I can also understand though the frustration that many people, including myself, have had to bear when paying attention to this ongoing farce of obfuscation and outright obstruction of anything resembling justice or a fair a speedy trial.

I agree as well with Kam Lee that Wild Bill Berardino's behaviour since he was apparently named "special prosecutor" before charges were even laid is suspect and worthy of investigation by the bar at the very least. It certainly appears he isn't working in the interests of the people who pay his freight, the people of BC. At times with his, according to Kam, recent vacation and frequent absence from hearings all along (with Ms. Winteringham and others standing in his place in court), one wonders if the "special" in his title stands for "oh so extra special!"
 
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I didn't even know that Ol' Bill had been absent for ... you say, nine months?

Like I often say, it's hard to find the things which aren't explained at all.

So please tell me: how do you know he was absent?
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