This is disgusting.
Judge’s Ignorance of AIDS Draws Fire:
An Ontario judge is at the centre of a misconduct investigation after insisting a witness who is HIV-positive and has Hepatitis C don a mask while testifying in his courtroom…”The HIV virus will live in a dried state for year after year after year and only needs moisture to reactivate itself,” Douglas insisted, according to a transcript of the Nov. 23 trial proceedings…
“I mean, he speaks within two feet of me with two serious infectious diseases,” Douglas told McCleave. “Either you mask your witness and/or move us to another courtroom or we do not proceed.”
I really don’t understand how some people are even allowed to be judges. Don’t you think that if your job involved dealing with people and the law that you’d be required to have some small amount of sensitivity?
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It's American, but I think this one was my favourite: a case last summer where a Nebraska judge ordered that the words rape, sexual assault, victim, assailant, and sexual assault kit not be used at a rape trial. The woman who testified against the defendant was only allowed to refer to her rape as sex.
"It's a legal conclusion for a witness to say, 'I was raped' or 'sexually assaulted.'" the judge said. "That's for a jury to decide."
Ick.
http://www.slate.com/id/2168758/
Posted by Megan
February 2, 2008, 2:33 PM
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