Posted by PBS Mind | I'm sure you heard about the RAPE case in Nebraska two weeks ago -- the one where the judge said the plaintiff couldn't use the word RAPE or SEXUAL ASSAULT or a host of other words to clearly describe what happened to her, leaving her with little choice but to use vocabulary that makes it sound like it happened to her with her consent. The case was declared a mistrial before it even began because this judge's misogynistic ruling made headlines nationwide. (See WaPo article.) (See another particularly articulate blog (yarnharlot) on the topic.)
The judge's name is Jeffre Cheuvront. I have not heard of him declaring the words "steal" and "theft" off-limits in theft cases, nor the words "kill" or "murder" in homicide cases, so I'm having a hard time thinking his motives are as "conscientious" as one observer describes them, particularly inasmuch as that observer happens to be the defendant's attorney -- hardly an unbiased source. I admit it, it's only a gut reaction and an emotionally charged one at that, but I can't get past the idea that this guy just hates women.
At any rate, judges are supposed to protect the rights of everyone and ensure a balanced and unbiased airing of the facts -- the very definition of a "fair trial." Seems to me that this guy has let his pendulum swing way too far in one direction (for example, I did not see where he barred the defendant from claiming she wanted it, or from using words like "consented"!).
If you're as uncomfotable as I am, feel free to let the state of Nebraska's Judicial Branch know what you think. Feel free to contact Nebraska's state senators, and get anyone you know who lives in Nebraska to do the same. Feel free to contact your senators and tell them they need to bend their Nebraska colleagues' ears on this issue. Make it clear you expect judges to do an impartial job, and that this guy is a disgrace who is setting a dangerous precedent. If you are a woman, you can't afford not to. If you love a woman, likewise.
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