THE ROBING ROOM

I observed Judge Pitman's arraignment of several criminal defendants and I was very impressed with his even handedness and willingness to give the defendants a fair unbiased hearing. Even a twice convicted drug felony drug dealer, he seemed willing to grant bail to, as soon as the defendant gets 3 people to sign on the bond. He also corrected the prosecution by stating that; 'The defendant is allegedly in violation of immigration law, since he is contesting the charge.' He said the main issues related to granting bail are : flight risk and danger to the community. It didn't make a difference if the defendant is a criminal or not, that is not the purpose of the arraignment and bail hearing. He said if the person is not a flight or danger risk then he should be granted bail. What an excellent and fair judge who believes that a defendant is truly entitled to due process rights.