What do you expect or want from our courts here in the US?

[msc545]

I want adherence to the law, fairness, equal protection, mercy, and justice.

[exitseven]

I want everyone treated the same regardless of how much money you have, what color you are and what political party you support.

[slatyb]

Do you think there fines for misdemeanor offenses should be adjusted for income and assets? A $200 spending ticket is a minor annoyance for some and a major hardship for others.

[msc545]

@slatyb I agree - income adjustments would be a very good idea since as they are now the fines are very regressive in terms of relative financial burden.

[exitseven]

@slatyb No, it just separates the rich from the poor. Everyone gets treated t by e same.

[msc545]

@slatyb The amount of the fine might be the same for everyone, but the impact and effect are not the same. The impact and effect of the fine - punishment - are the REASON for the fine and should be equalized and diminished or increased based on income. People of all economic conditions should experience equal discomfort.

I think not providing for this is actually an equal protection violation.

[exitseven]

Life is not fair. Not everyone gets to go to Harvard, not everyone gets to go to florida for the winter. Don't do the crime if you can't pay the fine.

[msc545]

@exitseven An important goal of a good legal system is to make things as fair and equitable as possible. Life may not be fair, but that is not an excuse for unfairness can correct.

[exitseven]

there's that word "equitable" again. Equity is just democrats pandering for votes. It has nothing to do with fairness. Elderly people and disabled veterans have a hard life in many cases. If somebody from those two groups ever asked the government for help they would be met with a blank stare and a bunch of excuses.

[msc545]

"equity" is a synonym for "fair". So you want things to be unfair, is that it?

[exitseven]

With equity one group gets special treatment and receives benefits the other group cannot get. How is that fair? Do you think if a black guy killed a white guy in the subway there would be so much of a stink? Oh yeah, this has happened many times but it never makes the news.

[KrakenAttackin]

I agree 100%.

[lightbulb27]

We'll, there's courts and there are laws. I'll combine both.

* I want humans that are poorly disciplined and failing in society to be dealt with such that they are reconditioned with evidence prior to release or they are not released. This includes possible conditioning in other countries where it's legal to retrain them.

* I want a Jury of my peers. that means people who are like me, not random humans. Similar educated and thinking people.

* I want people to stop being ignorant of the real problems and speak the truth.

I'll never get what I want...

[exitseven]

I ma convinced that neither will I/

[RealMarek]

Sounds great, but it won’t work without a complete overhaul of law. The USC and state codes are beyond byzantine in terms of complexity and this makes litigation probable, complex, and expensive. Also, we should adopt a loser pays rule for civil litigation. That would eliminate all kinds of nuisance and shakedown lawsuits. Also, it won’t work with the current elite in power. They use law as a weapon.

[slatyb]

A "loser pays" system makes it almost impossible for individuals to file suits against corporations. Lawyers won't take such cases because the risk of financial loss. This leads to the wealthy committing torts against the less fortunate with little risk. When claims are without merit, judges can dismiss them.

[RealMarek]

@slatyb I understand this argument. Perhaps an we could treat major corporations differently from individual people and small businesses. But as things stand now the party with the most money almost always wins in federal court and the same is often true in lower courts. Without expensive legal help, good luck figuring out how to get a judge to dismiss a frivolous case. This is not justice and radical reform is needed to reduce restore anything approximating justice.

[slatyb]

If a case is without merit the judge can award fees to the prevailing party. This happens all the time in First Amendment cases filed by the ACLU against public entities. Some fundamentalist law firm offers to defend the suit for free. The ACLU almost always prevails and is awarded fees. Of course the law firm doesn't pay those -- the infringing agency is liable.

[RealMarek]

@slatyb it’s extremely difficult to recover legal fees in this country. Most individuals and small businesses don’t have the resources of the ACLU or access to free legal help. It’s often impossible to prove a lawsuit was filed in bad faith even if the plaintiff loses. As a friend of mine in the justice system told me, “There is no justice in the justice system.” It’s not that black and white, but I have witnessed enough to know it needs radical reforms.

[richardcory]

Yes, that covers it - along with speed. Delaying trials for years is just awful for everyone - people's lives left in limbo. Somteims suspects are even held in prison for that time

[CaptainSmartass]

I expect a nice healthy profit. I've got money tied up in a couple.

Simples...

[msc545]

@CaptainSmartass Do you expect to profit from a fine?

[CaptainSmartass]

Yeah. There's fees as well. Taking someone to court isn't free, you know...

[msc545]

Please explain how YOU make money from this - I don't understand.

[Anonymous]

I want $5million because Trump sexually harassed me

[inhua]

to get rid of biased judges