Sunday, February 12, 2006
MUNICIPAL JUDGE ACCUSED OF DEMEANING BEHAVIOR
The Post and Courier reports that a North Charleston Municipal Judge is acccused of demeaning a man for bringing his medical service dog to court. According to the article "The city of North Charleston is forwarding a copy of the tape of the incident to the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, and the Hanahan man involved in the incident also said he will file a formal complaint against Judge George Epps."
The complainant, Bob Godfrey, went to court with a Spanish-speaking man who was facing a noise violation. According to the article, "Godfrey had been teaching the man English and thought he might be able to assist him in court. Shortly after the case was called, Epps, according to the tape released to The Post and Courier through the Freedom of Information Act, asked Godfrey, 'What is that dog in here for?'Godfrey explained that he had been in an automobile accident when he worked for the Charleston County Sheriff's Office in 1989 and that the dog, a golden retriever named Jasmine, is a medical assistant. 'If I fall, he helps me get up,' said Godfrey, who has screws and rods in his back and said his sense of balance is sometimes off."According to the Post and Courier, "Epps then said, 'It takes his little hands and helps pick you up...what does that dog do besides not supposed to be in this building? ... You ought to know better than to bring a dog into a courtroom. That just really upsets me'."
This is not the first time that "Judge" Epps who has no law degree, has been accussed of rude behavior, but it is the first time that he has openly demonstrated his ignorance of federal law. (Under federal law, medical service animals are allowed into any building.)
In October 2004, North Charleston City Councilwoman Phoebe Miller filed a complaint against Epps after accusing him of berating her at a party celebrating Summey's 10th anniversary in office. The S.C. Supreme Court's Office of the Disciplinary Counsel dismissed the complaint a month later, saying the alleged confrontation at a private party didn't rise to the level of judicial misconduct. That complaint followed one five months earlier in which Johns Island contractor Larry Low, who appeared before Epps as a witness in his son's reckless driving case, wrote a three-page letter to the Supreme Court concerning how he was treated by Epps. Low, claimed that Epps had belittled him and jailed him overnight for contempt of court for walking too slowly.
Whether Mr. Low's contention is true may never be known. However, the fact that an unqualified, undereducated, quick-tempered man can be given so much unchecked power to jail people is a scary thought. And, unfortunately, as some of the articles at The Daily Judge demonstrate, "Judge" Epps is by no means the worse offender.
The Post and Courier reports that a North Charleston Municipal Judge is acccused of demeaning a man for bringing his medical service dog to court. According to the article "The city of North Charleston is forwarding a copy of the tape of the incident to the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, and the Hanahan man involved in the incident also said he will file a formal complaint against Judge George Epps."
The complainant, Bob Godfrey, went to court with a Spanish-speaking man who was facing a noise violation. According to the article, "Godfrey had been teaching the man English and thought he might be able to assist him in court. Shortly after the case was called, Epps, according to the tape released to The Post and Courier through the Freedom of Information Act, asked Godfrey, 'What is that dog in here for?'Godfrey explained that he had been in an automobile accident when he worked for the Charleston County Sheriff's Office in 1989 and that the dog, a golden retriever named Jasmine, is a medical assistant. 'If I fall, he helps me get up,' said Godfrey, who has screws and rods in his back and said his sense of balance is sometimes off."According to the Post and Courier, "Epps then said, 'It takes his little hands and helps pick you up...what does that dog do besides not supposed to be in this building? ... You ought to know better than to bring a dog into a courtroom. That just really upsets me'."
This is not the first time that "Judge" Epps who has no law degree, has been accussed of rude behavior, but it is the first time that he has openly demonstrated his ignorance of federal law. (Under federal law, medical service animals are allowed into any building.)
In October 2004, North Charleston City Councilwoman Phoebe Miller filed a complaint against Epps after accusing him of berating her at a party celebrating Summey's 10th anniversary in office. The S.C. Supreme Court's Office of the Disciplinary Counsel dismissed the complaint a month later, saying the alleged confrontation at a private party didn't rise to the level of judicial misconduct. That complaint followed one five months earlier in which Johns Island contractor Larry Low, who appeared before Epps as a witness in his son's reckless driving case, wrote a three-page letter to the Supreme Court concerning how he was treated by Epps. Low, claimed that Epps had belittled him and jailed him overnight for contempt of court for walking too slowly.
Whether Mr. Low's contention is true may never be known. However, the fact that an unqualified, undereducated, quick-tempered man can be given so much unchecked power to jail people is a scary thought. And, unfortunately, as some of the articles at The Daily Judge demonstrate, "Judge" Epps is by no means the worse offender.
