Judge Jacqueline Hatch of Coconino County is under fire for her advice to a woman sexually abused by an off-duty police officer about visiting bars and “blaming others” for such problems. Hatch has now apologized for the advice that she gave the victim of officer Robb Gary Evans.
Evans reportedly drank eight beers and used his badge to get into a Flagstaff bar for free. He then proceeded to reach up the victim’s skirt and groped her. Evans knew the woman from mutual friends.
After sentencing Evans to probation (he was later fired as an officer), Hatch proceeded to offer some advice to the victim. She reportedly told the woman that “If you wouldn’t have been there that night, none of this would have happened to you.” Hatch explained that the woman should not even go to a grocery store after 10 pm without understanding the obvious dangers, let alone a bar. She added her own mother’s advice that “When you blame others, you give up your power to change.”
I have long been a critic of the loss of professionalism on our courts in the age of faux courtroom shows like Judge Judy and Judy Brown. Judges increasingly seem to yield to the desire to use their courtrooms to dispense their own forms of improvised justice or homegrown advice.
Hatch has since apologized: “As a Coconino County Superior Court judge, it is my responsibility to ensure that all victims and defendants are treated fairly and in a respectful manner in the courtroom. It’s a responsibility I take very seriously. I also believe victims should not be blamed for coming forward to report crimes.”
The unnamed victim accepted the apology and thanked the public for the support that they showed in the controversy.
Source: AZ Daily as first seen on ABA Journal.
maybe it’s me, but I suspect the whole redirection of blame here had something to do with the fact that the defendant had a badge.
Bruce, are you suggesting that as a weak little man you are unable to control yourself so rape is inevitable? Gee, I hope not.
Its not hard to see how the Taliban can be successful when even some women are so clouded that they think only by covering themselves from head to toe, never going out unless accompanied by at least 2 adult male family member and generally avoiding human interaction.
This only goes to prove judges are not neutral arbitrators. In a criminal prosecution , it’s laughable on it’s face. The DA, police and judge all draw paychecks from the say legal entity (the STATE).Victims and defendants , unless they are on the public payroll, are outsiders .
I don’t get it. The judge “blamed” the guy too. So why would it be wrong for the victim to blame him? The judge is not just offensive; she’s DUMB. And she LOOKS like her mother. Ditch the specs, church-lady, and get the hell off the bench.
This judge needs to be an ex-judge real quick. What an idiot.
Blouise, I agree w/ NM. We have friends in Santa Fe[retired FBI]. We’ve been to Taos a few times. What I love about Taos is the great mix of Indians, Mexicans, artists and red necks. Ruidoso is nice but a bit touristy. I drive through NM every winter heading to San Diego and have seen much of the state since I go off the beaten path. Roswell is just a stupid tourist stop. Carlsbad Caverns well worth the trip. Las Cruces is a nice college town w/ the beautiful village of Mesilla just a 3 mile walk/drive away. LaPosta is a famous restaurant on the village plaza in Mesilla. I had one of the best Mexican meals ever there. Santa Rosa is a nice little town on Interstate 40. But, that whole mountain area up near Taos is your best bang for the buck, there’s so much to see just within a 50 mile radius.
nick spinelli,
I have to admit that the only times I have traveled to Arizona were during the summer months.
Phoenix and Scottsdale were, in my often stated opinion while there, hell on earth (referring to the heat and shimmering scenery). Sun City, where I stayed for two weeks with relatives, was ungodly with a relentlessly, blinding sun, ice-cold interiors and not even my own fancy air conditioned golf cart could improve my attitude. Flagstaff and driving north to get there was like leaving hell and entering heaven.
Now, New Mexico … that’s a state I’d move to at the drop of a hat.
Blouise, Come on..Flagstaff is still a good city just w/ a horsesh@t judge. Trust me, there are horsesh@t judges in just about every jurisdiction. I experienced the highest snow banks I’ve ever seen in Flagstaff. They were 12 feet high and made traffic intersections a leap of faith to navigate. I drove down to Scottsdale and it was 75 degrees.
She added her own mother’s advice that “When you blame others, you give up your power to change.”
That is a great quote for individual growth. The judge “scolded” the victim. I think the Judge could have asked the perpetrator his reason for his abhorrent behavior and perhaps then scolded him. / ….. Unless of course her mother also use to say boys will be boys*. /
* I have read, heard, and witnessed that statement used to justify numerous male violations of civility and worse. I as a male have battled its enveloping validity among my male peer group of developing apes. I am maturing, I want to maintain a youthful exuberance to climb and swing through trees for exhilaration,(at least in spirit) but throwing feces at others (or worse) should get one thrown in jail. The cop is Yahoo. The Judge may be a “Good ole Girl”.
It is possible that the Judge’s mother would have thought being a judge was not a woman’s place. Has the judge ever told a male victim if you hadn’t walk around with that wallet after dark you would not have been robbed? No because men have freedom of movement but women in her universe do not.. Apology not accepted. What the judge said is a window on the way she thinks and I am sure it colors all her decisions. She does not belong on the bench and neither do her male colleagues who feel the same way. As the religios right take over our government more and more policy decisions are being made on this type of anti women’s rights message. It is both sad and dangerous.
From her photo I would guess an age that is above 60. Her “own mother” handed out such advice, or so she says.. There is a problem with female judges across the board. They do not always think, or speak, with some deference or judicial independent distance. Maybe the judge is right, maybe no single women should ever go to a bar. Elect the judge to the Legislature and pass such a law.
This little rant can best be described as catty old itchinbayness. I cant use the itchBay word on this blog because it gets censored, so we have to resort to pig latin. But lets face it, a itchBay like this should not be on the bench. I would let our fellow female dog itchinBayDog chimne in but she would really give a rant. In fact my comment here is not my choice but an echo– which is a take on Barry Goldwater’s clueless phrase back when this judge was in law school.
if you stand in front of an oncoming train your probably going to get run over.
John, the Albert Florence case shows how our courts have deteriorated, and it is the fault of the US Supreme Court that our judges are out of control. In the US Supreme Court case Pulliam v Allen (1984), a judge was disciplined and forced to pay attorneys’ fees out of her own pocket to the lawyers who had brought a case against her for jailing individuals pending trial for non-jailable offenses. Later, this decision was eroded because it became obvious that if the courts were really going to hold judges accountable for doing various unlawful (even illegal) things to litigants, there would be a BIG BURDEN on the courts as so many judges were doing a lot worse than Gladys Pulliam.
Now it has become just plain ridiculous; it is as dangerous to go to court as it is to walk alone in a dangerous neighborhood. Psychojudges are a dime a dozen and plenty of lawyers have dimes.
The judge got the wrong end of the stick. The woman was empowered, probably more so than the judge who, presumably, didn’t go after 10. Instead of just putting up with the abusive behavior the woman brought charges against her abuser.
Just great … Flagstaff was one city in Arizona I liked.
This republican was appointed by Brewer, won an election last year and is up again in 2014. There’s a petition with several thousand signatures calling for her resignation but I’m certain this “curfew for females” republican will stick it out on the bench. She’s claimed to have learned a lesson. We’ll see in 2014 if the voters in Coconino County also learned a lesson.
Interesting that the criminals roaming the streets of Coconino County after 10pm making it unsafe for females are cops.
The Judge doesn’t think women have the right to be out after 10, especially in bars. Criminals do.
And this judge seems like she would fit right in with the rest of the judges stripping rights away….
I hope she is removed & they get someone that respects people’s rights.
The sad thing is too big a portion of the general public seems to think the
same way.
But these judges are SUPPOSED to be protecting our rights, but recent decisions from the Supreme Court are taking them away!!
Their ruling on the Albert Florence case REEKS! They are going to leave it to the police to judge when to strip search anyone for even misdemeanors.
The only problem with that is that this guy was arrested and held in jail for 7 DAYS over a ticket that was ALREADY PAID…and he had a letter with him to prove it. Not only that but he was transferred & striped AGAIN during his incarceration.
First WHY wasn’t this guy released on his own recognizance? THEN, why would ANYONE be held for a week in this day & age of instant communication for a ticket that had been paid? And transferred to a different jail!?!?
This case reeks of abuse, and the Supreme Court seems to ignore it!!!
Them….
Covering the ass that covers theme….