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Demovictory9

(32,320 posts)
Mon Jul 30, 2018, 05:04 AM Jul 2018

"we didn't let girls do it in the old days" says judge

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/We-didn-t-let-girls-do-it-in-the-old-days-a-13114438.php



Buried in a footnote, the brief rebuke nonetheless marked a notable step in abridging gender discrimination in the legal workplace: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit scolded a veteran judge for making sexist comments in his Houston courtroom, calling his remarks "demeaning, inappropriate, and beneath the dignity" of his profession.

U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes had been presiding over a criminal case against Simone Swenson, an adoption agency owner charged with fraud.

Under federal rules, prosecutors are permitted to wait until just before trial to turn over pieces of evidence, known as discovery. But when a female federal prosecutor delivered stacks of new documents during four pretrial conferences in early 2017 - weeks after the final discovery date set by Hughes - the septuagenarian judge was not impressed.


"You're supposed to know what you're doing," Hughes said to an assistant U.S. attorney on Feb. 6, 2017. "What else is out there that you misplaced or didn't think was relevant so you didn't check it at all?"

Hughes dismissed the Swenson indictment, faulting the prosecutor's mistakes.

Then he said something else that eventually became the basis of the rebuke.

"It was a lot simpler when you guys wore dark suits, white shirts and navy ties," Hughes said, according to the 5th Circuit. "We didn't let girls do it in the old days."

The U.S. attorney's office appealed the case's dismissal, which set up a panel of appellate judges to send back its censorious response.




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"we didn't let girls do it in the old days" says judge (Original Post) Demovictory9 Jul 2018 OP
What a sexist pig. Nt raccoon Jul 2018 #1
Such a forward thinker True Dough Jul 2018 #2
Dumbshit Racerdog1 Jul 2018 #3
Reagan appointee Sanity Claws Jul 2018 #4
Time for that dick to retire. nt Ilsa Jul 2018 #5
and the pasture is too good for him. riversedge Jul 2018 #16
Scary to think someone like this person is a judge of all things. CatMor Jul 2018 #6
He did make the right legal decision in the case. 3Hotdogs Jul 2018 #7
He is a sexist pig dsc Jul 2018 #8
probablu has age related medical condition.... time for him to retire. trueblue2007 Jul 2018 #9
Is this response ageism? llmart Jul 2018 #11
thank you milestogo Jul 2018 #13
As the story says, the evidence was not given to the defense before the deadline Fortinbras Armstrong Jul 2018 #12
This guy was from Reagan, but Trump has appointed thousands of assholes IronLionZion Jul 2018 #10
Had he not included the sexist remark, no one would have avebury Jul 2018 #14
Message auto-removed Name removed Jul 2018 #15
We still don't let girls do it. dawg Jul 2018 #17

dsc

(52,129 posts)
8. He is a sexist pig
Mon Jul 30, 2018, 07:24 AM
Jul 2018

but I actually did agree with the result of his decision even as it is unsupported by federal rules. I don't think it is fair for the prosecution to be able to dump boxes of evidence at the last hour as she apparently did. Unfortunately the current rules allow for that.

trueblue2007

(17,138 posts)
9. probablu has age related medical condition.... time for him to retire.
Mon Jul 30, 2018, 07:34 AM
Jul 2018

horrible thing for him to say. leave the judges bench grandpa.

llmart

(15,499 posts)
11. Is this response ageism?
Mon Jul 30, 2018, 07:51 AM
Jul 2018

I'm getting a little tired of posts on DU referring to everything stupid that an older person does as "age related medical condition" or more specifically when someone claims it's dementia or senility or whatever. Can we just agree that just because someone's a senior it doesn't necessarily mean they have cognitive problems when they do something stupid or egregious.

I have always believed that whatever particular undesirable personality traits one has as a younger adult can be exacerbated with age and become more prevalent. Take Trump for example (please!). He's always been an ass and a self-involved narcissist. The things he does aren't attributable to him being older so much as him always being this type of person.

With regard to this post, this guy was most likely always a sexist asshole.

Fortinbras Armstrong

(4,473 posts)
12. As the story says, the evidence was not given to the defense before the deadline
Mon Jul 30, 2018, 08:09 AM
Jul 2018

But well after it. If the judge had kept his sexism to himself, he would have had no problems.

IronLionZion

(45,256 posts)
10. This guy was from Reagan, but Trump has appointed thousands of assholes
Mon Jul 30, 2018, 07:47 AM
Jul 2018

to federal judgeships very quietly after they blocked Obama's appointees over the last several years. We're going to see more deplorable stuff from the courts for a very long time.

avebury

(10,946 posts)
14. Had he not included the sexist remark, no one would have
Mon Jul 30, 2018, 08:21 AM
Jul 2018

questioned his ruling. He should have known when to stop.

Response to avebury (Reply #14)

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