Kristen Parker, 27, has achieved the type of national notoriety that every prosecutor dreads. The assistant McLennan County district attorney who prosecutes DWI cases was arrested over the weekend for . . . you guessed it, DWI.
These types of arrests raise an issue that we discussed previously on how to handle lawyers guilty of offenses like DWI. Parker was an undergraduate of Vanderbilt in 2010 and a 2014 law graduate of Baylor University. Courts tend to be harsh with lawyers who break the law. However, this is only a misdemeanor offense. Assuming that Parker is convicted, should there be a suspension or disbarment as a result?
I think that disbarment is clearly too harsh and I think that there is little need for a punitive suspension beyond the period of the misdemeanor. Parker will already face considerable professional costs for her arrest and possible conviction.
What do you think?
If she keeps her job, it will be interesting to discover how LITTLE more empathy she will have for the defendants.
After all, the survival of her livelihood depends on her conviction rate.
If she keeps her job, it will be interesting to discover how much more empathy she will have for the defendants.
Young, very good looking-this is a mug shot, imagine her all dressed up-experienced seven years of ideological and intellectual life only to find herself prosecuting drunks; she probably combined regrets, with ego, with WTF, with a few too many and then ego.
She needs a severe wake up call but not to the extent that it ruins her life and career, unless it becomes a pattern. More tabloid from Turley.
Meet with a bar rep to determine if this was a one-time, stupid, thing, or whether she is an alcoholic. If the latter, permanent attendance at AA as a condition of continued bar admission. If the former, then she should be required to represent at least five indigent cases outside of her legal genre (say, in divorce cases) from beginning to end, for free.
jonathan – permanent attendance is no cure-all. As I said before, the Bar has enough alcoholics they can set up their own program. They don’t need to ruin AA.. Let them ruin their own program.
You can always tell the folks who hate prosecutors. They want a pound of flesh. She’s young and did something foolish. Steve Groen has the right consequences for this woman.
Rebound83 The law exist to protect the community against harm first. So it’s not about the individual in the first place. It’s more important that the law is respected than the hardship it might cause this individual. The law doesn’t need to be bent out of shape continually to make sure that it accommodates the lowest common denominator. Too bad if 25% of people break the law and drive drunk. Continually lowering the bar is why we have Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate. The idea that that some people are too important to have the picayune laws (sic) applied to them is particularly obnoxious and makes good people cynical.
I’m always amazed at the outrage over drunk driving and related deaths. If drunk driving accounts for 40% of all traffic fatalities what is the cause of the other 60%.
I’m sure there’s some tangible negligence on part of the participants somewhere isn’t there?
Shouldn’t someone go to jail for driving a car they know has bad brakes or bad tires and subsequently causes an accident that leads to the subsequent death of another motorist or passengers?
I guess in some cases they do, but why isn’t there a parallel perception of risk of harm?
I’m not saying driving impaired is acceptable but we should consider that any death that can be preventable, should be.
You left out the most important part of the story..what is her political affiliation? If her politics are the same as mine, then I think the humiliation will be sufficient punishment and this could be a teachable moment. But if her politics are anathema to me, I think she should be disbarred and have her nose rubbed in it. Also that we should comment on how everyone from that side of the aisle is probably a drunk. I think it’s only fair.
I suggest her court record be reviewed and she be treated as those She brought before the court were treated by her. One law for the King and commoner alike.
She looks Florida high school teacher arrested for sex with minors hawt.
Here’s a question- “how many people, who have broken the law, have never been caught?”
When I used to arrest shoplifters for a living (for approx. 6 yrs- back when you actually had to take chase and physically subdue), one of the corporate loss prevention offices conducted a study re: loss prevention and corporate loss- based on theft analysis. Based on that study, they concluded that approximately 1 out of 7 people actually gets caught. Now add nearly 1/4th of our citizens in this country who has some kind of arrest (got caught- apparently weren’t good at being bad) in their background to those who’ve never been caught shoplifting. Increases that measly 1/4th quite a bit. Now apply those shoplifting statistics to DWI or Simple Battery- common class A misdemeanors (assuming that they’re comparable in frequency). Now that 1/4th starts looking a whole lot like hypocrisy to me. Raise your hand if you’ve ever driven while intoxicated-or under the influence of anything that might make you a danger on the road! ME! And I was caught for it. I guess I’m just not that good at being bad. FAR TOO MANY SANCTIMONIOUS HYPOCRITICAL LIARS- in this country. Stop already- you sleazy used car salesmen.
IF it is established that she was indeed a DWI then I think her license should be revoked. Too many deaths result from DWI and she could have “ubered” rather than driving. I am all about accountability.
I will defer to the prosecutors as to whether a deferred prosecution awaits this prosecutor.
Hugh – “I’ll guarantee it never would have happened again. “. Really? Lawyers never commit a second DWI offense?I never knew that. And how will your guarantee work when on the second offense she kills your wife, mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter (take your pick)?
“Assuming that Parker is convicted, should there be a suspension or disbarment as a result?”
30-day suspension stayed along with alcohol group sessions for 26 weeks.
Steve – the Bar should set up their own alcohol rehab sessions rather than dumping it on AA. This gal will go to AA for 26 weeks and get the group leader to sign off and she will still be drinking and driving.
DWI is a serious matter. However, I do not see how it reflects on her integrity or her professional skills.
This matter may have professional repercussions but it should not affect her law license.
This is going to smart. 🙂
DWI arrests have done far more damage than drunk drivers. I’ll bet there was no BI or PD involved, yet they’ll put her through the ringer. So she had a few too many – for this she deserves to be plastered all over the internet? We’ve lost our sense of justice. Our consciences are false. So was hers, I’ll bet. The cop should have gotten her home safe – I’ll guarantee it never would have happened again. Are there any Christians left in Texas? Real ones?
She might lose her job but should not be disbarred. DPM– Drunk Prosecutors Matter.