Federal Judge Runs Amok: Can Joe Bruno Get a Fair Trial?
by Roger StoneWhether or not you think former New York Republican Senate Majority leader Joe Bruno, who reigned over Albany in a triumvirate of power for 27 years, is guilty or not, he has the right to a fair trial and an impartial Judge. It appears he is getting neither.
Bruno has been indicted under the controversial ” theft of honest services” law. The same law that Supreme Court Justice Anton Scalia says is unconstitutionally vague. Indeed, the US Supreme Court has taken not one but two “honest services cases” for review. The government has no evidence of bribes or improper pressure on government–required by the law–that Bruno took for his clients. Under New York Law, legislators are part-time and are allowed to have outside income. Bruno , an non-lawyer with a business background, is a business consultant.
When the Government dropped hundreds of thousands of pages of new documents on Bruno’s defense team only days before trial Bruno’s lawyer asked Judge Gary Sharpe of the Northern District of New York for a mere two week delay. The motion was denied.
Indeed , in three weeks of trial Sharpe has overruled Bruno’s lawyer Abbe Lowell 49 times and sustained him twice while he has sustained the Government 36 times and overruled them twice.
But last week Sharpe showed why he is not fit to be a Federal Judge. After a particularly surprising ruling by the Judge, Bruno registered his shock facially and leaned over to speak to his lawyer. Sharpe went berserk and betrayed his animus towards the 81 year old Republican. “For once in your life you do not control something ….I do. If you ever do what you just did in the presence of the Jury again, which is question one of my rulings, I will take measures to make sure you never do that again.”
This arrogant Judge has one problem. Even though the New York Times headline says ” Judge in Bruno Corruption trial Chastises Him Over a Remark”-the court stenographer recorded no audible “remark” by Bruno! Sloppy reporting by Timesman Nick Confessore. How can there be a remark when the official record records none, thus Bruno conversation with his lawyer must have been inaudible.
Sharpe quickly dismissed a motion for a mistrial.
On top of this the Troy Record Reports that Judge Sharpe’s son is an assistant U S Attorney in the same office that is prosecuting Bruno. Sharpe should have had the integrity to recuse himself. Judge Sharpe is a disgrace to the Federal Bench caught up in what he thinks is his 15 minutes.
Citizens who want to contact Judge Sharpe and tell him to recuse himself in the name of fairness can e-mail him at gsharpe@courts.state.ny.us.
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22 Comments
Excellent article. Thanks for the email address for the Judge!
I sent him an email.
Will that put me on the Domestic Terrorist Watch List?
The halt (lame-infirm) halting(stopping suppressing) due process.
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You may want to get correct e-mail address. Courts.state.ny.us is for NY state, not federal court employees.
Not that I really want to stick up for Bruno who is a scheming politician through and through, but can't we find a judge in NY whom we can at least pretend isn't beholden to outside interests?
You don't think you're there already!?
I'll just assume that was a rhetorical question.
About U.S. Federal Courts
The federal courts often are called the guardians of the Constitution because their rulings protect rights and liberties guaranteed by it. Through fair and impartial judgments, the federal courts interpret and apply the law to resolve disputes. The courts do not make the laws. That is the responsibility of Congress. Nor do the courts have the power to enforce the laws. That is the role of the President and the many executive branch departments and agencies.
Nothing about this is fair and impartial. Are they not suppose to preserve the rights and liberties? For Whom? Hussein?
[...] Whether or not you think former New York Republican Senate Majority leader Joe Bruno, who reigned over Albany in a triumvirate of power for 27 years, is guilty or not, he has the right to a fair trial and an impartial Judge. …Read Original Story: Federal Judge Runs Amok: Can Joe Bruno Get a Fair Trial? – Big Government… [...]
Hon. Gary L. Sharpe, U.S. District Judge
James T. Foley U.S. Courthouse
445 Broadway, Room 441
Albany, NY 12207
Courtroom Clerk – John Law (518)257-1873
” theft of honest services” law?
Remind me why I bolted the Mainland 8 years ago? Rome is falling.
LMAO, nothing else to add. Where did you bolt to?
I have no idea of the merits of either side of this case so won't comment on that but…
Laws are for Republicans silly rabit, justice is for progressives
I have little respect for our courts any longer, I know there are still decent people out there in the system, I just seem to never run accross any of them personally.
Activist Judges should be impeached and kicked off the bench asap! They are there to rule on the law and nothing else! Howeve having said that, this Bruno sounds like a real scumball and deserves to go to jail. where is smoke there is fire! do it right people and don't let an activists Judge decide whats constitutional and what he feels is just. maybe the people of New York should hang Bruno and then the Judge! that would solve the delemea about presevring the constitutional rights of both of them. They are both anti-American and are both guilty of putting themselves ahead of the people they were charged with protecting! Hang them both!
If I were Joe Bruno I would file a commercial lien on all members of the prosecution, the judge and John/Jane Does 1 – ??? to compel them to uphold the constitution and have a fair trial in a art. III court.
Any good lawyer worth his weight of salt knows to file a commercial lien(s) when filing initial motions/affidavits etc.
No matter how much the guy deserves to go to jail, this country was founded on the principle of receiving a fair trial with justice served in a particular manner. If Bruno is not allowed that, chances are any ruling will be overturned by a higher court, anyway. I've lived in a New York apartment for some years now and it continues to amaze me the amount of corruption in the courts and government here. Fair is fair. Give the guy the trial he deserves.
[...] Sharpe even launched a personal attack at Bruno over what he said was a comment by the Senator, but the OFFICIAL RECORD by the Court stenographer records no such comment; Bruno was leaning over talking to his lawyer- a Constitutional right. To hear about the Judges inappropriate rant go here [...]
A jury of Mr. Bruno's peers found him guilty of abusing his high office for monetary gain. He deserves to go to jail, for the maximum sentence the law allows. The same fate should befall every other politican, be they big or small, who abuses the public trust, at any/every level of government.
Who was expecting a "fair" trial in New York State? Everyone knows that the state and federal courts in New York are mostly all corrupt. The two-party system hasn't existed in New York for many, many years. There is only one-party in NY, and that's the "inside-pay-to-play-party." Justice, fairness, or that old rag of a U.S. Constitution have no place in any court in NY State! One phone call pre-determines many, if not a majority, of "court cases." Many have called for a federal monitor over the judicial and bar ethics committees as they are the ultimate ones in charge…. and, yes, the ethics bodies in NY have been corrupt for years. If you want to see what really is going on in NY, check out: http://www.ExposeCorruptCourts.blogspot.com – be sure to see the video testimony of victims of NY's judicial corruption.