The McInnish Newsletter

Political Commentary
from a
Conservative Viewpoint

   

Alabama Birther Update

By

Hugh McInnish

Hugh, Wife Martha,
Granddaughter Maria

I am regrettably tardy with this update. You wouldn't believe my excuses, so I won't bother you with them.

Judge Reese
Anyway, on Thursday, 6 December my friend and lawyer Dean Johnson and I made the 300-mile round trip to Montgomery for the initial hearing of McInnish v. Chapman in the circuit court. Briefs had been filed on both sides, and the judge, Eugene Reese, said that he had read them. The total time allotted for the whole hearing was 15 minutes.

The lawyer representing the Chapman-Obama team went first. The lawyer representing Chapman was from the Attorney's office, so maybe we should call that the Chapman-Strange-Obama team. Their lawyer simply repeated what had already been said in their pleadings.

Dean followed and likewise presented what we had already submitted to the court.

That was it. The proceeding, so far as I could see, was wholly redundant.

We packed up and left for home. When we got there the judge's decision was waiting for us in our e-mail. He had submitted it about an hour after the hearing. Not to our surprise, he summarily dismissed our case. See the one-sentence order he signed here.

In the ordinary civil world most of us inhabit, a response like this would meet no one's standard of etiquette. In fact to me, one not blessed with the credentials of a lawyer, it has the tone of a thing said in contempt.

On the other hand, there is a different explanation which comes to mind. It could be that Reese could find no basis in law or logic to dismiss the case, but was determined to dismiss it anyway -- so he just used his power arbitrarily to get the result he wanted.

Of course, the two alternative explanations are not mutually exclusive. In any event, Judge Reese has certainly not distinguished himself as a jurist in this instance.

Meanwhile my good fellow patriots of courage and resolve, be of good cheer. That fire I'm feeling in my belly is not indigestion. I hope you are feeling the burning too!



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15 Dec 12