Saturday, November 2, 2013

Virginia Supreme Court: Miscarriage of Justice


Having spent 11 years researching and writing about the two school shootings here in Virginia (the Appalachian School of Law and Virginia Tech), I am disgusted with the Supreme Court's decision. The Governor's Review Panel Report is riddled with errors (Justice Powell and the court draw on that badly flawed document), and there is evidence that Police Chief Wendell Flinchum did not tell the truth about warning the campus (from a state witness who was never called to testify because he would have badly undercut the Commonwealth's case). There is clear evidence that a lockdown would have saved lives--two students were allowed to leave Ambler West Johnston Hall and go to their French class where both were slaughtered. A lockdown/warning would have saved--a minimum--two lives. That fact cannot be disputed. Judge Cleo Powell and the Virginia Supreme Court have shown an alarming lack of fairness and intellectual curiosity in dealing with the worst school shooting in this nation's history.
Judge Cleo Powell’s stunningly poorly written decision shows that the Virginia Supreme Court places right-wing ideology ahead of facts, evidence, and justice. Judge Powell has shown that the average “Jane” and “Joe” will not stand a chance in the Virginia legal system until 2023 when her term ends.

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