Supremacist Hale Sentenced to 40 Years
CHICAGO - Avowed white supremacist Matthew Hale was sentenced to 40 years in prison Wednesday for trying to have a federal judge killed -- the same judge whose husband and mother were murdered five weeks ago by a deranged man who had no connection to Hale.
Hale, the 33-year-old leader of a group that preaches racial holy war, was sentenced after a rambling, two-hour speech in which he claimed he was the victim and even recited part of the Star Spangled Banner. He showed no emotion and sat staring at the defense table as the sentence was handed down.
Hale's mother condemns 40-year sentence for son
CHICAGO The mother of avowed white supremacist Matthew Hale calls the 40-year sentence he received today "absolutely horrible."
Hale's parents and brother sat together in court when he was sentenced by U-S District Judge James Moody for trying to solicit the murder of a federal judge.
Hale's mother -- Evelyn Hutcheson -- contends her son was the only one in court telling the truth, although she gave the judge credit for allowing her son the time to make arguments on his own behalf.
In a two-hour speech, Hale proclaimed his innocence, compared the F-B-I to the Gestapo, claimed the news media smeared him and said he had been poorly represented by his former lawyer.
Hale also praised his father -- Russell Hale -- for his work as a police officer. After the sentencing, the elder Hale called those remarks "very touching."
In other news, More anti-judges rhetoric.
Cornyn Justifies Violence Against Judges
I don't know if there is a cause-and-effect connection but we have seen some recent episodes of courthouse violence in this country. Certainly nothing new, but we seem to have run through a spate of courthouse violence recently that's been on the news and I wonder whether there may be some connection between the perception in some quarters on some occasions where judges are making political decisions yet are unaccountable to the public, that it builds up and builds up and builds up to the point where some people engage in - engage in violence.
DeLay Goes Off The Deep End
Mrs. Schiavo's death is a moral poverty and a legal tragedy. This loss happened because our legal system did not protect the people who need protection most, and that will change. The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior, but not today. Today we grieve, we pray, and we hope to God this fate never befalls another. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Schindlers and with Terri Schiavo's friends in this time of deep sorrow.