The disturbing story of the judge who found me guilty

The judge who found me guilty on the third degree criminal trespassing charge for preaching using my amplification system is a new judge with no legal experience; she was elected by the voters and not appointed to this important office.
 
Almost immediately she was embroiled in controversy: reports came out that she stole the answers to a test given to new judges (see article below).
 
An Arizona Court of Appeals judge who heard the case, Lawrence Winthrop, ruled that she violated three rules of the code of judicial conduct, saying, “While this misconduct may have only occurred once, it is too offensive to ignore or to resolve informally.”
 
Unbelievably, she received a gentle slap on the wrist, having only to pay a fine, the cost of the investigation, and take additional ethics courses. She was allowed to remain a judge—this is the individual who literally sat in judgment over my case.
 
She should have been removed from her noble position, having forfeited the trust of the people and the dignity and importance of her exalted office. How could someone who stole the answers to the test for new judges possibly be seen as someone who was fit to judge others…like other thieves?
 
Aboud made the fantastical claim that the whole thing was merely a “prank,” done as a joke. In another article she said, “This is a joke that I do. We do [it] within my family, we’ve done for 50, 60 years. You know, it’s ‘play a trick on somebody. Hide their stuff.'”
 
http://www.kvoa.com/story/36405522/n4t-investigators-justice-of-the-peace-under-investigation
 
As one reads the handful of articles that report on this disturbing story, it becomes clear that Aboud is unfit to hold this honorable office.
 
http://tucson.com/news/local/pima-county-jp-paula-aboud-censured-by-arizona-supreme-court/article_5bddfbd2-d9e4-11e7-8b98-af58cae98c32.html

I was found guilty for a second time

My criminal case is now in the appeal process after the judge found me guilty, for a second time, of third degree criminal trespassing while I was preaching at the UA during their annual “Tucson Festival of the Books” while using my small amplification system.

This case in the Pima County Consolidated Justice Court lasted over one year. The appeal process could take another year—even longer.

My criminal defense attorney handling my case, Mark Williman, is experienced and knows the law. Unfortunately, when you had a judge like I did, newly elected with no background as a lawyer and an avowed lesbian, the deck was stacked against me from virtually the get-go.

I could not discuss this judge, Paula Aboud, throughout the over year long trial because I felt that, if she got wind of what I posted on FB or my blog about her, things could have become uglier than what they were.

Just who is my judge, Paula Aboud? First, she was a democratic state senator here in my home state of AZ, born and raised in Tucson. Here are some quotes from a Wikipedia article about Judge Aboud:

“In addition to her professional career Aboud was a long-time activist for the Tucson Democratic Party.” This should give us a glimpse of Aboud’s political leanings and I would suggest they are not conservative. I don’t believe Aboud is a card carrying member of the NRA but probably is for Planned Parenthood.

But the article gets more interesting. Under the heading “Personal Life,” it reveals this:

“She was one of four openly LGBT members of the Arizona State Legislature.”

Aboud proudly identified herself as a lesbian while she was a state senator. Putting a couple of these facts together (and there are more), I would argue that it would be difficult for Judge Aboud to objectively sit as my judge for the “crime” that I was arrested for.

I will explain more in subsequents posts about this judge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Aboud