TTSOML #91: My Lawsuits--Judge #1

The first hearing I had was in Salem, Oregon. The Judge was so awful and so mean to me, that even the lawyer for the Archdiocese stood up for me.

I guess the Archdiocese fired her after that (at least, they took her off my case), because she was the only one to speak up for me. The Judge, I'll have to get her name, Mary something-or-other, was Catholic, but an ignorant one, and was ridiculing how I had named the Archdiocese. Jeanne, attorney for the Archdiocese, was a normal, kind, and intelligent member of the Catholic church who actually told the JUDGE I was correct. Which shut the judge up.

This judge was so awful, I noticed right from the start that she was prejudiced and a problem. I finally asked to have her recused and she was forced to recuse herself, not only because of actions she took which demonstrated prejudice at the outset, but comments she made which were on the record. She also, on the record, made a couple of judicial decisons which flew in the face of reason and cast her in a bad light.

I had and have some respect for some of the Catholic lawyers. I know they haven't all been a part of some of the bizarre things that happened then and later. Different people, or a different group, was involved. Jeanne wouldn't hurt a fly,I don't think. She tried to ingratiate herself later, knowing I liked her, and I held my ground, but she was a decent human being. Peter Mersereau I can't speak to about character entirely, but he didn't do anything "wrong" that I can think of. Really, he had some of the most beautifully done motions. They were the only motions that presented any kind of challenge, because if you really read the stuff that was being spit out, the stuff coming from the Bullivant firm (where Dick Whittemore and John Kaempf worked for the Abbey) was crap. It was a bunch of cut and paste regurgitated stuff they'd used before. I do remember one or two motions which were very well done and well written. I think perhaps that Dick Whittemore actually penned one himself, and he can write well when he makes an effort. As to the character of Whittemore and Kaempf, they had NO character. They lied left and right, and didn't bat an eye. Lying, to them, was second nature. I didn't see this sort of thing from Mersereau. His work stood on merit. I respected his firm for that.

At any rate, the first judge, on the first day, instructed two burly police officers, FROM HER CHAMBERS to sit directly behind me. She actually pointed them to where I was sitting. She hadn't met me, and didn't know a thing about me. But she told two police officers to breathe down my neck, which made me nervous and I couldn't even think. I noticed Peter Mersereau, in the corner, watching. He was watching me as I began to scribble down notes to have the judge recused for demonstrating unreasonable prejudice from the outset.

I had no criminal record. I had never done anything wrong, or illegal, and she had never met me before. But by doing this, she not only showed prejudice, it would make a jury, in the future, if there was one, think there was something wrong with me as well.

The woman, quite frankly, was a Bitch, with a capital "B". And she was NOT very smart, to boot. It was a very disappointing first experience with the judiciary. I thought, "What the hell? These are the idiots on the bench?!"

I was so bored with her illogical conjectures, I remember making her over in my mind, in court, thinking if she only used a little blush and bronzer, she could be somewhat pretty. She wore this garish bright red lipstick which did nothing for her complexion.

She always wore a blue dress under her robe. I noticed, because it took awhile before I could get her removed. She wanted to throw in a few points for the other side while she was sitting on the throne, so she didn't budge at first.