OOOOOPS! Court-Appointed Lawyer Was Prosecutor's Mother

[@MrPagevideos]

Un-freaking believable. The mother, daughter, and judge should all have their bar licenses suspended.

[@hawkbartril3016]

Hell yes

[@shannonkohl68]

The mother / daughter attorneys should be disbarred and fired. The judge should be too.

[@hawkbartril3016]

So true

[@funlightfactory6031]

The mother loses a case, no big deal. public defenders lose all the time. Her daughter wins a case, it helps her career. That's a profound conflict of interest.

[@shrimpy_nazeem]

@High Lord Baron I think you forgot a not between I'm and saying cause it LOOKS like you're saying that he's guilty

[@cleverusernamenexttime2779]

90% of all people assigned a public pretender, will be convicted. Most will be coerced into signing a confession. Public Pretenders do not work for you. They are there for appearances only.

[@LavenderSystem69]

@@tetedur377 >butt-suming Never in my life have I seen someone feel the need to censor a word half as innocent as "assume" or "assuming"...

[@AngelNearDestruction]

@@LavenderSystem69 lol

[@uzlonewolf]

@@LavenderSystem69 Welcome to the modern internet, where The Algorithm will determine your fate. Someone who was censoring like that over on reddit explained they got a warning from the site and started doing it because they didn't want to get banned.

[@charleshadle9376]

Frighteningly hundreds of cases were adjudicated in that court with that same mother and daughter.

[@Robert_kuchar]

The judge, the prosecutor and public defender need to be held accountable for this. Even if there wasn't as conflict the appearance of one is enough

[@blitsriderfield4099]

The appearance of impropriety

[@markrankin2954]

It seems to me there was clear bias from the court appointed lawyer, when the client says im innocent and she wants him to plead guilty. I find the judge to appear completely corrupt.

[@papasmurf9146]

@@therrydicule Lehto says that the judge did know the relationship.

[@robertm3951]

@@therrydicule "I put the judge as a maybe in that he should have realized the situation" It was not just this one case. The judge admits to knowing the relationship and not telling any of the defendants. The mother should really disclose to the defendant, but they both disclosed to the court.

[@IsaacScharp]

@@therrydicule DId you listen to the findings of fact, he investigated the matter ahead of time and determined it was fine?

[@davidedgar2818]

Holy Smokes there's a judge that should be disbarred as well. How can the judge defend their action? This is a disgrace to the entire judicial system. Lost trust of the public is the only result of this entire debacle.

[@tracker001]

This Judge should be held to account also for not reviling the conflict that the Judge knew of .

[@AugustSchunk]

You want them to hold grandpa accountable?

[@christopherkidwell9817]

That is what the judge, prosecutor and defense attorney should be in trouble here about. I know that the judge knew of this CoI and didn't intervene, there is no way that he could not know.

[@joewilson3393]

I was wondering if procedurally that was the judge's problem. Wouldn't it be reasonable for him to presume that the defendants lawyer did her job and informed her client?

[@hankkingsley9300]

I will say from what I've seen here in this video that you know idiots can be attorneys

[@SakuraNyan]

@@joewilson3393 The judge should still double-check if they're aware of such a conflict.

[@davidswanson5669]

When I found out my first lawyer was best friends with the prosecutor, my lawyer tried to explain how it was a good thing. I was innocent, yet all my lawyer ever considered was getting me a plea deal. This was a 2nd degree felony charge so I wasn’t interested in anything but vindication. I fired him, and months later both of them were exposed by the district attorneys office for inappropriate relationship and favors, as well as sharing of nude photos of clients and defendants (just another reason why they love confiscating your phone for “evidence”).

[@billyyank5807]

Thats why you don't keep nude photos on your devices. Duh. That's your own fault.

[@snowcloudshinobi]

@@billyyank5807 you should have a right to privacy, you dope.

[@davidswanson5669]

@@billyyank5807 it wasn’t nude photos off my phone. I never said that. They had been doing it for years with various clients/defendants.

[@johnsonsandra8069]

@@billyyank5807 wrong

[@uzlonewolf]

@@snowcloudshinobi I agree you should, however in the real world you don't and assuming otherwise is just asking for trouble. Even if it's not legal, they'll find any reason they can to dump your phone (even if they have to completely fabricate it), and you can bet any "interesting" photos they find are going to be shared around.

[@AFloridaSon]

The judge didn't think there was a problem in _any_ of the cases between mom and daughter. That must mean there's more cases that have been tainted by the two.

[@coloradodrives7784]

yea, the mother was the public defender for most if not all of the cases in a particular day, the daughter was the same, but just the prosecutor.

[@gregjames2684]

Yes , Steve mentioned that there we're many cases conducted under this mommy/baby girl conflict

[@tomokojo1494]

500

[@xbrandon502x]

Seems like that was a bug reason why they didn't want this decision to be made. Since there is now this ruling, every other case with this mother daughter combo will be able to be challenged. It will be interesting to see how many cases get brought back up.

[@robertlemaster7525]

@@xbrandon502x hopefully ALL of them!

[@DiscoCatsMeow]

I actually put this on the judge. The County judge where I live, is actually a distant cousin. My great-grandmother and his great- grandfather were siblings. However, being from a small town, even though we're distant cousins everybody knows everybody else.When my sister got in trouble, he recused himself from the case because it could have been seen as a conflict of interest.

[@dredthizz87]

That is a great example of "the appearance of impropriety" good job to that judge.

[@Joybuzzard]

The judge 'didn't see' a conflict because they were getting people to plead guilty, which makes every case much easier and more convenient to the judge.

[@randallsmerna384]

Simply put, everything and everybody needs to be above reproach and absolutely disclosed!

[@ChillyJack]

I feel like when the appeals court reverses a lower court's decision, you should be allowed to have a new judge assigned considering you've just proven the judge in your case either doesn't understand the law or doesn't care what it says.

[@christopherkidwell9817]

@@MadeInMichigan I wouldn't. Why? Because the fact is that in many cases the law is vague and the arguments the judge made could be considered valid from a certain PoV.

[@Craig_N]

@@christopherkidwell9817 Your response could have just as easily been "Only Sith's deal in absolutes".

[@cstacy]

@@Craig_N There was no conflict of interest, from a certain point of view. (Or should I say, "I feel the conflict within you. You know it to be true. Give in to the prosecutor, and together we will rule the trial district!")

[@PvblivsAelivs]

@@Craig_N Your trite dismissal notwithstanding, I agree with Christopher Kidwell. The mere fact that a judge's decision was overturned on appeal does not, on its own mean that the judge acted in bad faith. The case presented here is an extreme one. We know why the judge didn't tell the defendant about the (potential) conflict. Because the defendant would request a new attorney -- as was his right. If all situations were so cut-and-dried, we wouldn't need judges. So I wouldn't automatically fire the judge. However, I would send the case to a new judge, just in case hurt feelings cloud the first judge's judgement.

[@colinsmith1495]

@@MadeInMichigan Nah, it's not always the judge's fault. If evidence comes forward later that the prosecution had exculpatory evidence they withheld, that's grounds for a solid appeal, but the judge didn't necessarily have any idea.

[@ovni2295]

Hang on, did they let the judge *who knew about the relationship* decide whether or not it was a conflict of interest? Holy crap! That's a conflict of interest in itself! If he finds it was a conflict of interest, he is admitting he messed up, so of course he would say it's not a conflict of interest!

[@ohauss]

Disbar the judge, the public defender and the prosecutor. The fact that the court and the prosecutor decided this was the hill they wanted to die on says a lot about their dedication to due process.

[@arn2112]

Court clerks, bailiff, DA,ADA….a whole list of people who know better.

[@AlanTheBeast100]

If this is all it would take to disbar them, there would be 0 judges/lawyers practicing.

[@thenormalyears]

its reallllllllly hard for a judge to get in trouble for anything

[@deirdrecorey3876]

They ALL SHOULD LOOSE THEIR LICENSE TO PRACTICE LAW. They took away his right to earn a living. THEY SHOULD LOOSE THEIR RIGHT TO LOOSE A LIVING...

[@joeytomato]

If I had to guess, I'd say they were all in on it... No one would turn down that free money.

[@jaimeduncan6167]

The problem is that the court also has a conflict of interest : they all knew , they don’t want to look bad , and they don’t want the multitude of cases where they did the same to be reversed. The fact that it was a plead deal is particularly damaging. You say you are. Innocent and your counsel tells you it does not matter, terrible things will happen to you if you don’t plead and he does.

[@daniels5026]

The attorneys need an ethics class and an exam to show their competence. Clear violation.

[@chickenmonger123]

Monthly.

[@stephanreiken9912]

These judges need an ethics class.

[@billmullins6833]

The judge ought to have to attend that same same class.

[@TidewaterC]

They need to be disbarred.

[@ivansmith654]

True, however some people can be standing outside in the rain, and claim it is not raining!

[@kikh4691]

The judge, prosecutor, and defense lawyer all need to be dis-barred. They knowingly broke the rules and continue to do so repeatedly. This would be organized criminal activity. How many other cases did these three influence, how many times did the mother win or was they all plea deals ?

[@williamshafer3199]

Blatant corruption

[@Khalifrio]

Yet another case of Judges and Attorneys covering for each other when they break the law but don't consider it a "big deal".

[@gordonwaite2]

No law was broken! A “possible” conflict of interest was not disclosed. It is an ethics violation not a criminal violation.

[@tjtak7486]

Laws are only a big deal when YOU break them. Don't you know that?

[@---cr8nw]

@@gordonwaite2, the attorneys are required, by law, to act in their clients' best interests. Failure to disclose this relationship is a breach.

[@gordonwaite2]

@@---cr8nw They are not required “by law…” they are required by rules! They can not be prosecuted and imprisoned for a violation of the rules that lawyers must follow. By law though they can be punished by sanction, suspension or revocation of their license for violating the rules. There is a difference. She did not break a law!

[@gordonwaite2]

@High Lord Baron Did you not listen/watch the video? There was a “per se” conflict of interest. Again, meaning on the surface or the appearance of… mom and daughter could have been arch rivals. The appeal should have been allowed as there was a per se conflict of interest.

[@philmann3476]

True story. Years ago, one of my former partners got called for jury duty, got assigned to a panel of prospective jurors and went into the courtroom only to see another lawyer from our firm sitting at counsel table getting ready to try the case. When the judge asked the routine question, "Do any of you know any of the parties or lawyers?" he raised his hand and said, "Well, Mr. so-and-so over there is one of my law partners." When everyone, including the judge, stopped laughing, the judge said, "OK, you're excused."

[@randallkelley3600]

My mother-in-law had two brothers in senior positions with the police department. She never served on a jury. Amazing that not having a related juror is more important than related attorneys in a case.

[@ryanc473]

That would be pretty funny, and I imagine the odds are pretty slim of that actually happening, though I imagine that when it does it's the easiest, most certain way to get out of jury duty ever.

[@USMC6976]

@@randallkelley3600 I was called for jury duty in Kansas. There was a married couple, both had been summon. Both were chosen for the jury. The Judge, prosecutor and defense accepted their word they would not discuss the case between them. Yeah, right!

[@gutz-Coldrevenge]

i was called into jury service about a year ago, my partner was the defending lawyer, when the question was asked if anyone on the jury knows anyone, i put my had up, the judge asked me how i know them, i said i sleep with her every night..... got a few laughs from that one, and got out of jury duty, was looking forward to it as well. oh well hopefully next time my partner isn't involved.....

[@TheRealScooterGuy]

Judge (from the case in Steve's video): _Do any of you know any of the parties at those tables?_ *Prospective juror raises hand* Judge: _Yes, juror number 23?_ Juror number 23: _Yeah, the prosecutor is my sister and the public defender is my mom._ Judge: _You'll do._ Juror number 23: _Daaaaaaad. I had things to do today. Can't I be excused?_ Judge: _No son. We all have to do our civic duty from time to time._

[@jesstreloar7706]

Prosecutors move up the hierarchy by 'winning' cases, thus reducing their work load, backlog. A Mother helping her child to succeed would be the obvious outcome.

[@hermanfinkelstein5039]

Makes sense they fought this so hard, you said they did this all the time, this means because of this you can bet there will be a lot more of these cases. it's like opening pandora's box.

[@batmayn]

I'm half way into this video and it really seems like the judge is dumb for letting this "mother daughter team" operate like that in so many cases. Ridiculous.

[@robertsmith2956]

That the judge cites, mom didn't file any evidence of her clients innocence sort of PROVES there was a conflict.

[@jupitercyclops6521]

Dumb or crooked. I'm going with crookec

[@albertstephen2426]

It proves the judge is corrupt!

[@ianbelletti6241]

When the judge learned of the relationship, he should have been asking them to provide documentation for the court's record that the defendant was notified of the conflict and still wants to retain the mother as council.

[@dougjones9493]

1. Win or loose public defender gets paid, loose or make deal makes prosecutor look good. 2. Prosecutor wins looks good to their boss = promotion. 3. Judge didn't want to grant the request/ appeal because that would open it up to everyone that was in this situation( mother, daughter) getting their deal or conviction tossed.

[@spikey2740]

This reminds me of a similar situation - someone is convicted of a crime, he is later exonerated and the conviction is overturned, yet the prosecutor openly declares "he's still guilty". This often happens where the group (sorry I don't recall their name) later looks at cases and discover the whole court action was designed to railroad the defendant, many of which turn on DNA evidence proving the guy couldn't have done the crime. It's sickening to see how the prosecutor, or crooked cop, or whoever, gets by with such and nothing is ever done to them.

[@Hotarg]

Pretty sure thats The Innocence Project

[@coop5329]

That's the "justice" system in America, which has by far the highest incarceration rate per capita of any country in the world, most of which is people convicted of penny-ante "drug crimes". America's obsession with the so-called War on Drugs is stupid on too many points to go into here. No, I don't and never have done drugs, and I don't personally know anybody who has been arrested or jailed for it.

[@spikey2740]

@@Hotarg Yes, that's it. I had simply forgotten the name, thanks for the reminder.

[@spikey2740]

@@coop5329 Yet another result - or as some would say benefit - of Saint Ronnie's war on ordinary Americans.

[@imjashingyou3461]

There's a whole John Oliver episode 80% on this subject but on the larger subject of appeals. Features prosecutors doing this exact thing to a death row detainee days away from execution in Texas, and I believe an Oklahoma prosecutor arguing before the State Supreme Court on Camera that it would be better to knowingly imprison innocent people by denying thier appeal when there is overwhelming evidence of innocence, because of not filing an appeal within a set time frame, because "It would risk the finality of criminal convictions."

[@jonkeau5155]

Lmao, “no significant risk” 😂😂😂 the mom is a public defender and doesn’t care if she wins or loses, the daughter would like to pad her prosecution record, HOW IS THAT NOT A RISK OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST! It doesn’t matter whether it was or was not in reality, at the very least the appearance that it could be should give him the right to a new trial, regardless of evidence.

[@albertstephen2426]

You are absolutely correct. This is the same principle reflected in law which uncle Tom-ass broke.

[@drewfirst3486]

Judge meant that it was no significant risk to him. Turn out he was wrong.

[@MrTechKey]

That was my same thought. Being a layperson and having only a vague understanding of the law, it would appear as though public defenders are not held as accountable for their success at protecting their client as a prosecutor would be. A great point that Steve brought up was if disclosing the relationship would have had no bearing on what plea the defendant pled, why bother to conceal the relationship?

[@neal9692]

@@MrTechKey Just a note here. Understanding LAW is, usually, not the problem. Understanding PROCESS is what hangs up the vast majority of people who try to represent themselves or understand a trial. Laws are usually pretty straightforward. Process is so convoluted and confusing it should be a crime.

[@dannymccarty344]

@@neal9692 the worse part is. The "process" is designed to pervert accountibilty. It takes more money than most citizens have. Our rulers have become corrupt. The 2nd admendment needs reconsidered in this country. Blood quenches corruption. The justice system acting like a gang. Lying and protecting each other....corruption in every county in our Nation!

[@StanDrumz]

As a former resident of Illinois, nothing about this surprises me. NOTHING.

[@ALusby100]

The judge, prosecutor and defense attorney should be sanctioned and disbarred.

[@kstricl]

"We have investigated ourselves and determined we have done nothing wrong." Seems to apply here.

[@nathengonderman1491]

it seems to me that the reason his motion was denied three times was because they knew that if they granted it they would have every single other person they did this to (Sounds Like Alot BTW) back in court for the same reason.

[@bar0nger]

prosecuter, defensce attorney and judge should all be disbarred

[@sittingindetroit9204]

Wonder how the judge who said "no problem" would have felt if one of the appeal judges was the defendant's father?

[@SakuraNyan]

Or acrimonious ex.

[@deusvult6920]

Judge is boning one of them

[@sittingindetroit9204]

@@deusvult6920 or both

[@---cr8nw]

I wonder how the judge would've felt if one of the defendants was his son? (Not that a judge's son would ever go to trial or use a public defender.) I wonder if he would SEE the conflict of interest there. Would he recuse himself? And if so, would he take any issues with the conflict of interest between the prosecutor and his son's counsel?

[@lizhaydon2250]

And the other cases that this happened in? The state needs to look at a lot of cases.

[@PeterShipley1]

I would assume the judge didn't say anything because the mother-daughter pair moved cases quickly, thus clearing the court docket. but then I'm not a lawyer thus have no idea what I'm talking about...

[@murraystewartj]

"[B]ut then I'm not a lawyer thus have no idea what I'm talking about..." Don't worry, you're still eligible to be a judge or perhaps, in the right court, an expert witness. There's always hope.

[@pariscloud2907]

Sounds good to me, but I don't have any idea what I'm talking about either.

[@Br3ttM]

Or they had limited options in a smaller court, and it was too inconvenient to keep them on separate cases every time.

[@christopherg2347]

@@Br3ttM Which is fine. If they disclose it. And the person can pick someone else.

[@cleverusernamenexttime2779]

@@Br3ttM if thats the case, one of them needs to find a new court to work in

[@Michael-yd7nt]

My buddy went through a divorce in Michigan. The attorney representing his wife was formerly a partner of the judge who was assigned to the case. Needless to say he got screwed over so many times and in so many ways it was hard to believe. Of course a number of years had passed so apparently the statute of limitations magically removed any conflict of interest.

[@peoplenewstoday]

I knew a city that husband was prosecutor and wife was public defender. They used different names and most did not know of their marriage. Seems like funny business to me.

[@Strideo1]

Funny as in sitcom situational comedy funny or funny as in suspicious?

[@Meatball2022]

Funny like a clown??

[@Meatball2022]

In all seriousness, it all might have very well been above board, but the appearance alone is such a major conflict of interest, one of them should be required to leave their position

[@allaboutroofing2]

@@Strideo1 fun·ny busi·ness /ˈfənē ˌbiznis/ Learn to pronounce noun deceptive, disobedient, or lecherous behavior. "they sent a big strong farmer's lad to make sure there was no funny business"

[@domfer2540]

Judge knew

[@deirdrecorey3876]

They ALL NEED TO BE REPORTED TO THE STATE BAR ASSN.

[@themonkeyhand]

Relatives shouldn't even be working in same court. I like how Japan handles a lot these issues, prosecutors and judges move every few years to a new jurisdiction.

[@aitorbleda8267]

You don't want to be subjected to the Japanese legal system. Atrocious

[@matko000]

@@aitorbleda8267 It's strict, but that was not the point being made. The point made was the ensurance of fairness in court not about the beliefs about the laws.

[@viscountalpha]

@@matko000 They are almost always decided before going to trial. They have a 99% conviction rate.

[@bboywolf]

@@viscountalpha but they also cannot lie to you at all. So they do things better in some aspects. Their 99% conviction rate has nothing to do with them doing certain things better. We should take all the good and not the bad

[@Elliandr]

On the other hand, Japan has an obscenely high conviction rate which either means that the police are very good at arresting only guilty people or they have a problem of innocent people being convicted at a rate far higher than America. As I understand, Japanese police are allowed to Badger you into confessing because there's this long-held belief that no matter what they do to you an innocent person would never admit to something they didn't do. Then again here in America the police go so far as to fabricate fake DNA test results and submit them to the courts so I'm not really sure which is worse. I think I'd rather be badgered for a few weeks while I maintain my innocence then have someone Photoshop evidence to be used against me in court.

[@ILIKECHEESECAKE100]

Just wanted to say love your videos, it's a fantastic way to become familiar with established rulings and new ones. Thanks for all your work

[@EvilGrin]

A complete new meaning to the term "family court"

[@faunrogers3734]

The prosecutor hired the daughter early in 2019. She was appointed opposite her mother in more than 200 cases by more than one judge in the circuit. This conflict was brought up in a Motion to Dismiss in a different case than the instant case in July of 2019. The Motion to Dismiss was not granted (no surprise there) but by Sept the daughter was now working in another county. An ARDC complaint was filed against the prosecutor by the Defendant. The prosecutor's response in defense of his actions was to claim that upon the hiring of the daughter, he had reached an "accord" with the judiciary in that a conflict of interest did/could not exist moving forward (right?). This put the judges in an interesting, albeit untenable, position. They can either hang the prosecutor out to dry or continue to claim ignorance of the law....they unfortunately chose the politically correct route. This explains why the State dug in so hard for so long on this issue. Thank you for bringing this out in the open.

[@RichardHeadGaming]

Its not bad enough they let and tried to cover up the conflict during this trial, but all the other trials the two family members were involved with are also reversible. Both attorneys need to be disbarred as well as the Judge.

[@NO-GAMES]

This type of conflicts and impropriety exists in so many case's but it's rare that any defendants have the financial wherewithal to bring light to this kind of corruption. Kudos to this defendant.

[@akallio9000]

I had a state appointed attorney about 50 years ago, was found guilty, and watch the judge and this (fairly hot) public defender walk out of the courthouse arm in arm.

[@celticlord88]

Sure

[@akallio9000]

@@celticlord88 I didn't mean you. I'll take a screenshot next time.

[@briangarrow448]

My exGF had a situation where her judge in her divorce was the fishing buddy of her husband. He refused to recuse himself from the case.

[@johnnemery545]

My sister's ex mother in law worked for the friend of the court. Sis got the shaft until the kids were grown.

[@KabobHope]

@@briangarrow448 This happens all the time.

[@robertgolding]

This is the reason why you *NEVER NEVER EVER* take a plea deal if you are innocent. I cannot think of any world where pleading guilty is OK when you are not.

[@natehill8069]

I can. You are a male in the United States. A random female you have never met accuses you of fondling her. If you plead, you could get out in 5. If you contest it, you will be found guilty and be sentenced to 20 years.

[@Relkond]

There’s probably some way to check the court records - how many cases did the mother-daughter pair work?

[@cabanissmedia2751]

Public record

[@christopherg2347]

All of those cases need a do-over.

[@---cr8nw]

@@christopherg2347, there's no such thing as a do-over on a conviction. "...nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb;" Double jeopardy. Each of these cases should be eligible for appeal, at which point the appeals court should determine that the the client's attorney committed legal malpractice. The convictions should all be vacated. It stinks because there are certainly some guilty people who would be made free, but that's why it's so important to do the right thing the first time through.

[@cleverusernamenexttime2779]

@@---cr8nw what about the ones who already finished their punishment? I hope they bury these three in lawsuits for the rest of eternity.

[@---cr8nw]

@@cleverusernamenexttime2779, the convictions would still need to be vacated so that these people don't have that offense on the criminal record. It changes things for job opportunities and for gun ownership and for anything else that a previous conviction might affect. But no, there's no way to get months or years of your life back. You can sue for damages, which could be substantial.

[@atsylor5549]

If I’m ever prosecuted I sincerely hope the prosecutor’s, and judges see no conflict of interest if my mommy sits on the jury. My mommy has punished me plenty of times in the past so this should be safe.

[@grim1427]

Good grief. I hope they discipline that judge. Its hard to imagine the judge let this go by accident. I would imagine they thought it would make those hearings run smoother since the relationship between the mother and daughter would likely be the priority of the mother over the best interests of her clients. The fact that they didn't tell any of the clients is a profound indication that they new it was a problem.

[@RichfromVirginiaBeach]

Two bar grievances, and a formal judicial complaint is just the beginning to fixing this problem. Another good example of why you never bargain with a bar member.

[@alanmcentee9457]

I expect the guy's lawyer to ask for a new judge before a new trial. And now there will be multitudes of people coming forward asking for their convictions be overturned because of that conflict. And every one will be asking for a different judge to hear their case. Because of the number and the delays, I suspect most will end up being dropped.

[@Frankjc3rd]

This definitely beats the time when my mother went down for jury duty and during voir dire she had to reveal that the prosecutor was one of her boy scouts when he was a kid. This got a chuckle from the entire courtroom.

[@linwoodnymph6113]

Could they [Judge & both attorneys] be trying [conspiring] to expedite cases??? ... Yes, what's troubling is that Judge & 2 attorneys saw nothing wrong with this! The dumbing down of society goes all the way through said society, I guess.

[@roberthance2412]

They all should be removed .

[@domfer2540]

My time in court, public defender is not looking out for the client. They just want the fastest way to close the case.

[@tomjackson4374]

Exactly. I was in court and watched a public defender file a motion to arrest his client when he didn't show up to court. Even if you get a PD who wants to do a good job the courts load them down with cases so they literally have no time to adequately defend someone. The entire system is geared to blackmail guilty pleas. If they outlawed guilty pleas the system would break down in six months.

[@daleallen7634]

@@tomjackson4374 : I wouldn't give it six weeks before the meltdown.

[@davidlinehat4657]

It's rarely the public defender's fault. They are forced to negotiate plea deals bc if everyone who was arrested demands a trial, the courts would be over loaded. Due to this 90% of cases are plead out. Public defenders themselves are likewise overburdened and aren't given the resources required for dealing with such high case loads.

[@jeffmccrea9347]

AHHH, the legal profession. A game the whole family can play.

[@b_uppy]

I sure as heck would want to know of a familial relationship going into it. Any judge that thinks the lack of foreclosure was acceptible should be sanctioned as should be attorneys involved...

[@daleallen7634]

@B uppy : "Disclosure" NOT "Foreclosure".

[@aarond1622]

Corruption in the US judicial system is commonplace. And it rarely gets punished.

[@kjtroj]

You're spot on that it's the mere PERCEPTION of a conflict of interest that creates problems and distrust.

[@pilsen8920]

Every single one of the cases needs to be thrown out and the state needs to pay for time served.

[@bromschwig]

Imagine a prosecutor prosecuting her own daughter in a criminal proceeding. The District Attirney would assume a conflict of interest and would never allow it.

[@daleallen7634]

@Kurt Bromschwig: Unless, of course, the same person is "wearing both hats"!

[@HarbingerOfRespite]

The judge and court argued that the relationship between the attorney and prosecutor were not significant and thus, there was no need to reveal the relationship. I would argue that if there were no risk of a conflict of interest, there would be no need to hide the fact that the attorney and prosecutor were mother and daughter. I would also argue that the simple fact that the daughter is a prosecutor, and the fact that her entire career hinges on the number of court wins she has, having a mother who can help her win cases poses a massive conflict of interest.

[@markmaugle4599]

It appears to me that the Judge has been doing this for a long time and doesn’t want to admit this problem.

[@tsherwoodrzero]

Wanna bet the judge was boinking them both?

[@ppgwhereeverett4412]

And the 'judge' Knew this was a conflict Up Front !! He needs to be sanctioned !!

[@reagandow850]

What a disgusting abuse of the court/power.

[@markhonea2461]

Without penalties involved for such dishonesty from the court it will continue to happen.

[@ChristopherNFP]

Love your question "Why didn't you tell him then? ". They never have an answer for it. You can see from the extremes that a rational client informed of the Conflict would NOT waive it. 1. Mother and daughter hate each other and have not spoken for 20 years. Defendant should be worried that the prosecutor might not offer a plea deal or only offer a crap plea deal because she hates your lawyer. 2. Mother and daughter love each other . Defendant should be worried that his lawyer will consider prosecutor's opening offer perfect and not push back on it. Defendant's lawyer may want case to settle to make her daughter look good or to ease her workload . The sentencing range for an offence is just that. Always a range. What ever sentence was imposed you could ask 'is it possible a different defendant could have got a slightly more lenient sentence ( smaller fine, shorter bond, 1 month less incarceration) ? ' the answer will almost always be yes.

[@daviddickey9762]

Every case they were opposing each other needs to be retried or overturned. I wonder if the judge is the prosecutor's father figure.

[@dredthizz87]

I love the class this comment conveys... I on the other hand am a distasteful scumbag you are questioning weather the judge is boning the defense attorney (mother of the prosecutor)

[@forestforest1191]

NO CONFLICT. That's what a mother and daughter WANT.

[@Gamebuster1990]

Let's say for the sake of argument, that in fact the mother and daughter hated each other. That doesn't mean that the defense counsel will act in the best interest of her client. For example, the counsel could hate her mother so much she is willing to destroy or fabricate evidence, act out improperly in court (ex: yelling at each other), or even just not show up at all.

[@sarowie]

and the defense attorney can stall the proceedings to stall the daughters career, undermining the right of a quick and fair trial.

[@PrayingPanda]

Judges who make obvious wrong decisions should be removed and prosecuted.

[@WhereWhatHuh]

Shouldn't the judge have realized the conflict of interest immediately, and taken action? Surely judges have some knowledge of the lawyers regularly appearing before them. Also, is such failure to disclose by the two attorneys (who MUST have recognized each other) grounds to take away their Shakespeare?

[@BozesanVlad]

They knew what they did

[@WhereWhatHuh]

@@BozesanVlad "The law applies to YOU, not MEEEEE!!"

[@roy19491]

most judges are attorneys who have failed in private practice, and became judges, because they needed a job, in order to pay the rent/mortgage, and feed themselves

[@Stop_Gooning]

Judge was probably an in-law.

[@audiblek]

It sounds like he did know, but felt like the mother and daughter worked well against each other. That doesn’t seem like it’s his choice to make though

[@knitmaniac6368]

they are not clueless, they are corrupt! they were hoping the guy would stop fighting and let go!

[@simond7564]

Anyone who has ever had a "Public Pretender" knows they pretend to have their clients best interests in mind as long as they don't actually have to do much work.

[@jupitercyclops6521]

My experience was worse than that. Mine literally worked against me. He left the courtroom while prosecutor & judge entered witness written statement as evidence that should have been argued as hearsay because the witness was not present during alleged battery. Without that statement they lacked probable cause. I knew something was fishy , but didn't know til I looked it all up later. I ended up getting it dismissed when I showed my attorney multiple lies the cop made on arrest reports- LIKE HE LEFT OUT THE PARt WHERE THE OTHER PERSON ADMITTED TO STARTING THE FIGHT!!! public defenders are sh!t Our courts are a joke. Steve's statement on how defenders obligation to their defendent not who pays them is naive & ridiculous (not to mention. Lacking substance for an argument)

[@Andi_Doci]

Once upon a time I used to live in Michigan, I lived there for one year. Due to the ethical standard of The Honorable Steve Lehto, I am deeply considering moving to Michigan again! There is NO error in saying that the Judge knew the relationship, they often work with the same set of persecutors and public defenders in the courthouse. So they know who they are and if they relate. But, in this case it looks like there was assignment, court process, sentencing, appeal, and conclusion, so it's beyond a safe assumption from the viewers perspective that the Judge knew the relationship. And, mother and daughter knew their relationship, there is not dispute there!

[@clefsan]

You said there were multiple times where this mother-daughter pair was dealing with cases in court, so does that mean any other convictions resulting from that would now have to be reversed automatically as well? Or do the convicted people in these cases need to be lucky enough to hear about this and file the necessary motions with the court on an individual basis? Also, should/would failure to disclose this conflict of interest to defendants over multiple cases count as sufficiently unethical behaviour to justify penalizing the public defender - up to and including disbarment?

[@FourthRoot]

This conflict of interest is so flagrant it is inconceivable the attorneys didn't know this was unethical. They should both be disbarred.

[@GoCoyote]

One would assume that a judge would know the difference between belief and facts, and the possible appearance of a conflict of interest, but we all know what it means to assume.

[@petertimmins6657]

The fact that the judge knew and yet never said anything MULTIPLE TIMES brings all things he has ruled on into question.

[@thomasdesmond2248]

The real question is how many times has this mother and daughter done this? In how many other cases? God bless

[@FairyChild_For_Freedom-Justice]

SMH They wonder why we have no faith in our justice system 😢

[@markgiltner7358]

This court wasted all this time on defending this action instead of just acknowledging the issue with the mother and daughter relationship and given defendant a different lawyer.

[@thumper84]

Both lawyers should be permanently disbarred

[@Bob-Lob-Law]

I would love for this case to make it all the way to the Supreme Court just to see what Clarence Thomas would say about this

[@sv2697]

If a lib, guilty as charge, if a GOP, innocent all the way.

[@GoCoyote]

Snap!

[@maxsdad538]

God, what a bunch of petty, bitter, libs you girls must be.

[@TheShamefurDispray]

That prosecutors whole career needs to be investigated- who knows how many times she just had her mother sabotage defendants to aid her career.

[@aetch77]

So, what happens with the rest of the cases where this mother/daughter combo have faced off?

[@cianna2813]

I would be very interested to find out the percentage of the mother-daughter court cases that a plea deal was done. I'm willing to bet all of them were plea deals.

[@cdrone4066]

Plea deals are the most common way cases are settled, doesn’t matter who the parties attorneys are. Very few cases go to trial, our system couldn’t handle that many trials, it can barely handle the ones they have.

[@madverse337]

​@@cdrone4066you missed the point

[@akapbhan]

If the father/husband only owned the private prison where the people are incarcerated it would have completed the whole circle. So sad the family is making money only in two end of the case

[@jupitercyclops6521]

Well....if it's a gov facility , the judge, defense attorney, and prosecutor all get paid by/ work for the same entity as the jail/ prison It's OK they're over crowded. They'll build another one and or early release some violent criminals in your neighborhood, who got more violent from their stay btw.

[@cheerdiver]

British, esquire ~ agent of the Crown Aristocracy, 'Ruled by the best' Blk's L. 11th Registry A gov building for weddings, deeds, B&D records. a syndicate of professional sophistry, creating edited accounts of official records ~ Transcripts are a tool of obfuscation. A way for the BAR to avoid account.

[@ScooterFXRS]

"Pleading guilty is good, I know the prosecutor really well." That both of these women work for the same county judicial system is dubious enough.

[@MrMarrok]

I'm guessing the judge was the grandmother the way they tried to dismiss this

[@trainliker100]

My grandfather was the defense attorney where it turned out there was a relationship between two people involved in the case. It was some fairly big trial in the 1940's in Vandalia, IL where my grandfather lived (southern Illinois) and the town folk in the court room knew him. The prosecutor was a big shot from Cook County (Chicago area and not liked by those in southern Illinois). One member of the jury pool was my father, the defense attorney's son-in-law. And the town folk knew him, too. So, the prosecutor starts asking him questions. "Do you know the defendant?' "No sir." And there was a little tittering from the public. "Do you know any of the witnesses?" "No sir." And a little bit louder laughter. The prosecutor asked the similar question if he knew this or that person and each time it was "No sir" and louder and louder laughter. Finally, the prosecutor asked, "Do you know anyone in this courtroom?" "Yes sir." "Who do you know?" "The defense attorney, he's my father-in-law." The prosecutor screamed "GET OUT OF HERE !!!" and the courtroom exploded in laughter. The prosecutor's error was not having his first question as something like "Do you know anyone involved in the case?"

[@FractalPrism.]

all cases involving the mother, daughter or any judge related to their cases must be reviewed again for other types conflicts.

[@timlewis2068]

I had to fire the public defender in the courtroom once because when the visiting judge from another city gave me a fine the public defender actually argued that the sentence was too lenient. The attorney still works in that same city, but he’s the prosecutor now. In many small towns like mine, the entire system has been corrupted from top to bottom.

[@guidichris]

A new meaning to always having clean briefs.....

[@byronwatkins2565]

They knew the rules. If "it didn't make any difference," then why didn't they follow the rules? The obvious answer is that they found the rules inconvenient -- judicial convenience cannot outweigh human rights. All three of them should be punished.

[@matthewjohnson6360]

If I am ever in his shoes and I was informed I would say 'YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I'M NOT COMFORTABLE!'

[@rberkar6669]

I worked for a company that was sued in court by a driver's family for a car wreck where the driver was drunk and ran I to our vehicle. It was plainly obvious the two attorneys and the judge knew what the outcome of the trial was going to be. The judge even admonished the company owner for trying to fight the $1M lawsuit by the widow. After hiring a private detective the company owner found that both attorneys worked for the same insurance company. It turned out the deceased worked and attended a company party at cart dealer that was insured by the same insurance company but for $10M. They had both worked with the judge to allow the lawsuit for a $1M so they wouldn't put the $10M policy on the line.

[@TargaWheels]

The FIX is in!!!!

[@ivechang6720]

All the court officers including the judge need to be investigated. That's absolutely insane!

[@KM-te6wu]

Public defenders are notorious for NOT defending their clients!

[@Stevenwoodz]

👌🏾 Excellent video. Very good point made. I totally agree. I do feel that the judge and the prosecuting attorney cases need to be to looked into.

[@avpr1c]

Imagine if gov nepotism was fully exposed