
Federal Judge Joan Lefkow of Chicago testified today before Senate Judiciary Committee, making pleas for increased security for judges, information sharing between agencies, and a cessation of anti-judiciary rhetoric
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On Feb. 28, 2005, Judge Lefkow, 61, returned home at around 5:30 pm and found the bodies of her husband, Michael, 64, and mother, Donna Grace Humphrey, 89, who had both been shot to death.
Bart Ross, who had been a litigant in a medical malpractice case before Judge Lefkow, is believed to have been the killer. He later committed suicide when stopped for a traffic violation.
Matthew Hale, a white supremist was convicted last year of soliciting the murder of Judge Lefkow, and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Some of Judge Lefkow's testimony and link
Heartbreaking testimony. Here are some fragments that I wrote down.
She was so sad, but she kept it going, talked about how her husband and mother were shot by man who was trying to kill her (Judge Lefkow). She talked about how her two daughters were going to walk down the aisle this summer without their father, how she had her morning coffee alone nowadays, with only a book unstead of what her husband had always called, "the eternal conversation of marriage." There were a few hankies. "2/28 (the date of the shootings) is our family's 9/11."
She slammed Pat Robertson by name for threats against the judiciary, and also criticized similar remarks by "some members of Congress, albeit in less specific terms."
She talked about the difficulties in making decisions, the power of emotions in those circumstances...mentioned removing feeding tubes....She emphasized the importance of respect for the rule of law...how that means respect for the difficult decisions judges have to make... "Without fearless judges, where are we as a nation." "We need your leadership: The stakes are profound."
Spector: you were harrassed in a public restaurant [only a few days ago, a derogatory note was taped to the window of the restaurant in which Judge Lefkow was having dinner]...incident involving white supremists.
Lefkow: I had some protection for a few days. We need marshalls to analyze cases and tell us when we need protection. [the issue is whether the Justice Department will share information with the judiciary.]
Lefkow: All the judges who have been killed, the cases were civil cases, not criminal.
All the judges I have talked to want security for themselves and their families. [$12 million in current appropriation].
Sen Dick Durbin D-IL recites Robertson's remark "Members of judiciary are greater threats to America than bearded terrorists"
I just wish to hell that Robertson, Frist, Delay, Cornyn and their slimey friends would have been there so she could have slapped them, one by one. I would guess that everyone in the committee room would have followed suit. The bastards.
You can read more and see video of her testimony here.