Last November, questions were raised over a decision of prosecutors to drop all charges against 13th Court Justice of Appeals Nora Longoria for alleged drunk driving. There were concerns of special treatment but prosecutors insisted that they simply lacked sufficient evidence. Now it appears that there was a dash cam video that clearly shows Longoria unable to complete sobriety tests. It would seems a fairly easy case for prosecution.
Longoria is shown struggling to walk a straight line and stumbling. Police say that another video includes audio recording where Longoria pleads with the officer to “Please let me go home. I live a couple of miles away” and “You are going to ruin my life.”
She refused to give a blood sample.
Everyone is now insisting that it is a complete mystery how the video of this judge was not sent to prosecutors. As for Longoria, she does not appear to feel the need to respond to the evidence on the video.
Frankly, I am less concerned over the DUI as I am over the possible special treatment afforded to a judge.
Longoria ran on a campaign of “Nora for Justice” and emphasized the need for impartial treatment of accused persons. She insisted “I am committed to the legal profession and to the integrity and sanctity of the judicial system. My promise is to always apply the law fairly and without bias in all cases.”
She graduated from the University of Texas A&M in 1986 with a major in political science and a minor in history. She then graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1990.
If this judge was caught in Alabama he would not be in the jail http://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/02/us/around-the-nation-alabama-judge-is-jailed-on-drug-charges-in-florida.html They do not scratch backs of out of state like they use too.
Clearly she was drunk. Clearly (at least it seems to me) that she is getting special treatment because she is an “insider”. Any other poor schlub who was stopped and in the same condition would be in jail, facing big fines, perhaps have their license to drive revoked and sent to an expensive drunk driving prevention class and AA.
Laws for us, but not for them.
I’m not dissing on this woman or the other examples brought up by Msjettexas for drinking. People have a right to get as drunk as they like…..in their own home. Driving and drinking is the issue. When my husband and I go out of town to spend the night, we pick a hotel where we can have room service or there is a restaurant attached to the hotel. That way IF we decide to have some drinks we do not have to drive anywhere. When we go to a party or dinner where we must drive, we take turns being designated driver for each other. Does that sort of spoil the fun. You bet it does, but the fun would be REALLY spoiled by getting a DUI or worse getting into a wreck.
As lawyers, legal professionals, they KNOW that what they are doing is illegal, but they do it anyway…….AND they get away with it.
Why should we as citizens obey the laws when our government officials and government employees do not have to and in fact flaunt the law breaking in our faces. Obama.
How about this one a judge uses a new law to overrule an US Constitutional and a State of Alabama Constitutional Law. Later the new law was found unconstitutional, but they are not Nunc Pro Tunc back to the original law. They claim it is up to the defendant to correct the EX POST FACTO error. But that is not what the law read. By either party a Nunc Pro Tunc to correct a clerical error. Since the judge was unopposed does that mean he can rewrite the law to suit his needs and wants.
That is nothing a judge ordered a teacher sex offender to have a pass at the request of her father who is a pastor and the County Commissioner in Dallas County Alabama http://www.selmatimesjournal.com/2013/04/19/police-arrest-selma-high-school-teacher/ and her release http://www.wsfa.com/story/26205293/motion-to-extend-former-selma-teachers-jail-time-still-pending. But he not along .wsfa.com/story/26205293/motion-to-extend-former-selma-teachers-jail-time-still-pending . They will get special treatment by the court and not sentenced according to the law.
Robert Rex Edwards,
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@Jack – Ya, that Texas State bar.. Pretty good place to get hammered on a Saturday night….
The video indicates a clear failure of the Walk and Turn standardized field sobriety test. The HGN test is not of course evident here and there are no other tests shown. But, there are no indications shown of if the suspect has issues with balance or not which could affect the Walk and Turn. My viewing for whatever reason did not have audio.
As for the topic of preferential treatment in my view something is greatly suspicious in this case from top to bottom. But, obtaining evidence of this might prove to be difficult because the various actors are going to be tight lipped and little written evidence of such will be generated.
And it is articles like this that really get me worried. What is wrong with people?
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/inside-twisted-police-department-kills-unarmed-citizens-highest-rate-country
http://enriqueleal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/demothumbnail_nora.jpg
As a libertarian who does not drink alcohol, I’d like to see one state government do a temporary ban on drunk driving laws as an experiment – say for three to five years.
http://reason.com/archives/2010/10/11/abolish-drunk-driving-laws
Nice article in the Huffington Post this morning as well…http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/08/supreme-court-lawyers_n_6287884.html
If things don’t change quickly, I fear nearly all of us alive today will see the day when the civil rights rioting of the 60s will seem like a kids squirt gun fight.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/08/justice/protests-grand-jury-chokehold/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
The prosecutor should loose his/her job post haste. The Judge, not so much a judge is she?
Yes indeed, we clearly have two sets of justice rules in this country. The sad thing is those in power abusing the system don’t have any idea that the populace (every populace) has a breaking point. And when it breaks it usually means death to those in power and their family. Does Saddam Hussein have any descendants alive? How about Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddaf. The populace will take it only so long.
“Prosecutorial discretion” allows prosecutors the discretion to choose whom to prosecute.
If Obama can use his “prosecutorial discretion” to not enforce the deportations of 5 million people illegally in the US, then a Texas prosecutor can decide not to prosecute an alleged DUI.
OK, lefties, let’s hear all the “that’s different because Obama has a good reason to not enforce the laws, while the Texas prosecutor must be banging the judge” defenses.
Pity the poor defendants in her courtroom now that she is indebted to the prosecutors (unless, however, if a prosecutor is in the unfortunate position of being the defendant in which case there will never be sufficient evidence to convict).
Individuals in Texas need to speak up (and vote).
All very well for us outside of Texas to comment, but if Texans don’t act, nothing will change.
We are concerned citizens – well each of us has a personal responsibility to act when our voices will make a difference.
The the Prosecutorial Discretion Mr. Obama is so fond of…
Judge Longoria is clearly drunk. This is a prosecutor misconduct. We have a District Attorney in Travis county, who is over the Public Integrity Unit, and she got a DWI conviction. I also know of a Court Manager named Delena Franklin in the City of Allen, Tx who was also convicted on DWI charges and all of them are stilled employed. The one in Allen, even wrecked two other cars and she is the President of the 2015 Texas Court of Clerks Association. I have no respect for people like this who think their above the law.
Rosemary Lehmberg was beyond drunk, she even had a open container of vodka in her car. This is wrong because these people are in a position to judge or have influence on others for the same conduct. They all should resign or be fired from their jobs. These are Class A misdemeanor’s and stay on your record for 10 years. If anyone wanted to get a job at these cities or counties with the a Class A misdemeanor, they would not be able to and that’s a double standard.
Ya want stories? I got stories. Everybody has stories.
Two-tiered ‘justice’ was a justice that separated the wealthy, who received special treatment,, from the rest of society that paid a heavy price for all transgressions;whether deserved or not. Those who enforce justice have become part of the untouchable wealthy tier when it comes to punishment of misdeeds. Sell cigarettes on the streets and get killed for doing it, but sell fraudulent, mispriced, and misrepresented securities and mortgages that lead to an economic crisis and receive huge paydays and accolades….
Res ipsa loquitur
Plenty of people have been arrested, charged and convicted after walking like that on a FST.
Special treatment in her case seems obvious.