Defense attorney shouldn’t be judge
Aug 06 2008
Island County voters have an interesting choice in voting for Superior Court Judge on their August 19 primary ballot: Judge Vickie Churchill, who has served with distinction for 12 years, versus a man who has spent much of his career as a defense attorney trying to help the guilty go free.
We recommend Judge Churchill. Why? We have followed Mr. Platt very carefully in the past 18 months in the case of Randi Shelton. Ms. Shelton finally pled guilty.
Under our constitution, all citizens are entitled to defend themselves and are innocent until proven guilty. A clever attorney can often help the guilty avoid any punishment. Such an attorney must have a mindset that believes that criminals should not be punished, if he or she can be found “not guilty,” regardless of their crime.
Mr. Platt by definition, is such an attorney. It is our belief that he cannot easily change this mental orientation should he be elected judge. He will be in a position to rule on motions and pronounce sentences that are favorable to the type of defendants that he has served. His campaign slogan should be, “I am a friend of the criminal.” As a defense attorney, he will not have the impartiality required of a judge.
Replacing Judge Churchill with Mr. Platt will be like replacing Michelangelo with a paint by numbers picture.
Jim and Jean Gervais
Freeland
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