Bizarre, Courts, Criminal law, Lawyering

Judge Herman Thomas Acquitted

art.judgeIn a surprise verdict, a jury acquitted former judge Herman Thomas of sexual abuse, attempted sodomy, and assault related to allegations that he brought inmates to his chambers for sex and spankings. The judge insisted that he brought the men to his office to “mentor” them, but prosecutors put forward evidence of semen on the carpet and testimony of numerous former inmates that they had sex with him or allowed him to spank them for lenient treatment.

After being acquitted by the jury on major counts (but hanging on other counts), the trial judge directed a verdict on all counts in favor of Thomas.

This is a major victory for defense attorney Robert Clark who insisted that the judge was “trying to get them to do right, to be productive citizens.” Prosecutors put forward evidence that placed a different meaning on what Thomas thought was “getting them to do right” or be “productive.” However, some of their witnesses had to be dropped and one said that he was pressured to implicate the judge by his defense lawyer, here.

Thomas is now going to seek the reinstatement of his law license.

For the full story, click here

50 thoughts on “Judge Herman Thomas Acquitted”

  5. Alan,

    …. I also suspect that somewhere along the way he had a bad mentor himself, like a nun in Catholic school who called him into her office and then explained how the paddling he was about to receive would show him the error of his ways, open his heart to the Lord, and help him to one day become a productive citizen. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I myself experienced paddling in elementary school in Texas.
    *******************

    I was in the Office so much as a kid that I feel most comfortable there. I got spanked, damn I got spanked. I remember my Dad had to go to school with me because I had bruises on my ass from being spanked so often. I think they must have talked techniques after that I still got spanked but no bruises. Hmm, This is one reason that I never spanked my children. Now talk, yell, scream that was a different issue.

    Texas, 1967, 68 and 69 the years of Northland Elementary School, Humble, Texas. Good ole Mr. Towsend. I do not recall his first name as that was improper for children at that time to do. You were PG, not pregnant. My, my things have changed.

  6. @AY: I tend to agree with you, that the Judge had good intentions but in the end it was a very bad idea. I also suspect that somewhere along the way he had a bad mentor himself, like a nun in Catholic school who called him into her office and then explained how the paddling he was about to receive would show him the error of his ways, open his heart to the Lord, and help him to one day become a productive citizen. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I myself experienced paddling in elementary school in Texas.

  7. chris 1, October 27, 2009 at 10:45 am

    So then why would it give “new” meaning to spanking the monkey?
    ***

    I guess maybe the Judge do the spanking? Have you ever been spanked by a Judge? I haven’t….

    If you will look at the other posts you will see that I have possibly defended this man. Think about that.

    But really, in your mind I am a racists and white supremacists. All because of humor, now what is that word that black people can use that whites can’t or they are considered a racist? It starts with ____?

  8. Alan,

    I personally do not feel that what this Judge did was without merit. I think in his heart he felt that he was doing the correct thing and who knows what the recidivist rate actually is or was.

    The penal institution (No Pun or Racial usage intended) is more of a warehouse where incorrigible children become bad kids and turn into actual criminal with a whole lot of bad information that they learn from the prison experience. They learn new trades in the brotherhood. They learn to survive and from what I understand you have to trust someone to watch you back and you do have to prove yourself or you end up dead or somebody’s bitch.

    As I said earlier, I think that his ideal bad some redeeming value. Who knows? I know what we are doing now is clearly not working.

  10. AY:

    you forgot about cuffing the puppy and whuppin the woolly?

    And how about bangin the cracker, now that just might have racial undertones.

  12. Alan 1, October 27, 2009 at 10:19 am

    I don’t understand what “the monkey” would be, and how this would give new meaning to “spanking the monkey”. Especially in the context of Blacks often being referred to as monkeys by racists and white supremacists, whatever that joke did intend, it is not funny.
    ******************

    Let us stop this train where it is in the station right here right now. This is the usage intended not racial in the least.

    2. spanking the monkey

    waxing the carrot, choking the bishop, jacking the beanstock, yankee-ing the doodle,peting the one eyed wonder weasel, waxing the wood, caulking the cracks, jacking off, wanking.

    Link: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=spanking+the+monkey

  13. Play It All Night Long
    by Warren Zevon

    Grandpa pissed his pants again
    He don’t give a damn
    Brother Billy has both guns drawn
    He ain’t been right since Vietnam

    “Sweet home Alabama”
    Play that dead band’s song
    Turn those speakers up full blast
    Play it all night long

    Daddy’s doing Sister Sally
    Grandma’s dying of cancer now
    The cattle all have brucellosis
    We’ll get through somehow

    “Sweet home Alabama”
    Play that dead band’s song
    Turn those speakers up full blast
    Play it all night long

  14. I don’t understand what “the monkey” would be, and how this would give new meaning to “spanking the monkey”. Especially in the context of Blacks often being referred to as monkeys by racists and white supremacists, whatever that joke did intend, it is not funny.

  15. No racial intent here. But I guess this gives new meaning to spanking the monkey.

    Sorry, my humor is bad…..

  17. The verdict did not surprise to me. The evidence he paddled the inmates was strong, but he was not charged for that because it would have been only a misdemeanor and the statute of limitations had expired. The sexual abuse case was very weak with the majority of witnesses testifying no sexual abuse took place. At least one witness who claimed sexual abuse had a story that seemed not credible, and the rest lacked details which one would expect if actual sexual abuse took place. These facts strongly supported the defense’s suggestion that the inmates “slanted” their testimony for the prosecution in order to obtain more lenient treatment. The semen evidence is puzzling, but even if it were not planted, it allegedly came from one of the prisoners, was not explained at trial and did not strongly support the prosecution’s theory that the judge was sexually gratifying himself. In the end, this was a weak case and the jury’s verdict is not surprising.

  18. Now you tell me:

    “Justice is a contract of expediency, entered upon to prevent men harming or being harmed.
    Epicurus (341 BC – 270 BC)”

  19. “However, some of their witnesses had to be dropped and one said that he was pressured to implicate the judge by his defense lawyer, here.”

    Does this mean that his defense attorney tried to implicate the judge or does this mean that another defense attorney tried to get his client to implicate they judge?

    Either way this is a real blow to the Prosecutor.

    Another thought, why did the Trial Judge do this? “After being acquitted by the jury on major counts (but hanging on other counts), the trial judge directed a verdict on all counts in favor of Thomas.”

    What were the counts dismissed? Can the Prosecutor get a second bite at the apple? What was the composite of the Jury panel?

    This one leaves a lot of unanswered questions.

  20. As we discussed in another current thread, maybe we should re-think the jury system.

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