Judge Emily Jane Goodman's abuse of police parking permit is why they should be taken from jurists
The New York Daily News - OPINION - EDITORIAL - April 18, 2011
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Emily Jane Goodman lives - or at least parks her car - above the law. Goodman views the annoying rules of vehicular placement that apply to others as just that: annoying rules that apply to lesser people who do not claim ownership of a special dashboard placard reading POLICE. And so, on Thursday and Friday morning last week, Goodman's black four-door Audi A4 Quattro sat at expired meters on the west side of Broadway near W. 89th St., just around the corner from her apartment. Ticket agents passed the car by while slapping summonses everywhere else they found violations. "We don't give tickets to the police," said one agent. "I don't want to get into trouble." Only Goodman is not police. She's a judge who fails to understand that free parking is not a perk that comes with sitting on the bench. Goodman has a state-issued placard. These have been in the news of late because Gov. Cuomo slightly reduced the number that his agencies control and shifted many of the holders from "Police" cards to "Official Business" cards. Goodman came by her placard differently. It turns out that the Office of Court Administration also issues parking passes, a gigantic total of almost 1,800 of them. Who has them all is unclear, as is the question of why they have been issued. However, this much is known. OCA provides "police" placards to roughly 450 judges, including Goodman. There is absolutely no reason a judge should have a police parking permit. Those should be reserved for law enforcement officers who are on official duty or who are on immediate call to respond to emergencies. Her close, convenient parking does not qualify. Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman should strip every judge of every placard. His jurists have courthouse parking. They do not need access to the curbside wherever they so whim. Also, Lippman and Cuomo should meld their systems for dispensing placards into a single accountable process - with guidelines spelling out that officials may override parking rules with a placard only in highly justified circumstances.
Plain and simple: judges are NOT police. Take all those police parking permits away from judges.
ReplyDeleteI say let them have the placard, let's face it, they have probably made it through the corrupt practices of being a lawyer...plus you know where they are at all times!
ReplyDeleteI say let them have the placard, let's face it, they have probably made it through the corrupt practices of being a lawyer...plus you know where they are at all times!
ReplyDeleteBut aren't the judges royalty?
ReplyDeleteAren't the judges better than us common folk?
We know they are above the law, so they should be able to park wherever they want, run over people and animals- anything. They are our gods. Amen.
Why is this ticket fixing getting so much attention, when there has been clear and rampant case fixing going on for years?
ReplyDeleteIn June of 2006 Daniel Wise a well-known and well-respected reporter for the New York Law Journal, was sought out by Special Referee James A. Montagnino to publish a story about information he had about case fixing in the 9th Judicial District, in which he personally (Montagnino) and the then Administrative Judge Francis Nicolai, were involved.
This was a front page story in the New York Law Journal, and nothing was done about it.
Now, a comment is picked up in a wiretap about some parking tickets being fixed, and there is a huge scandal and investigation.
Looks like they are only going after the easy pickin's.
Nothing like justice the New York way.
Attention low-lifes: King Cuomo and Lord High Court of Appeals Duke Lippman enlighten the serfs that special privileges for the nobility are necessary so they can properly control your life and your earnings. These privileges include parking anywhere. Shut up; obey our laws; thank us for leading you; and pray for King Cuomo's success and long life.
ReplyDeleteIn the western, upper part of this empire state, the local media reported that a judge was getting several parking tickets at night clubs in the area and he would then take the tickets to city hall for his hearing and got all of them..dismissed...like a hundred.
ReplyDeleteHe had no parking pass then, but probably has one now,but he was also continuously given several judicial upgrades...you know what they call them, as well as any judicial job he wanted in the courthouse..because the weak and crooked chief judge went to the same law school for flunkies on the west coast, as he did.
Judge stories are so laughable, as well as multiple...yet incredibly pathetic.
If only Lippman's judicial demise would be the demise of all the crap we have, that he has created or crowned.
What type of emergency could they have>
ReplyDeleteDo they have to pick up thier black dress from the dry cleaners. we probaly pay for that also
This matter is classified as a perk for judges and court personal. In fact I still have the one issued to me and I not giving it up. Judges have the ability to go on strike too, don't mess with us boys.
ReplyDeleteThis chick could use the exercise! She should do more walking and sell her car. I see her driving through traffic lights on Broadway all the time.
ReplyDeleteTo the retired or tired judge...why the hell should you get any perks for being a civil servant of the law...esp a free parking pass...you are not special..I know because I sat next to the likes of you and had to smell THE DIRTY ROBE, forced everyday to view the dandruff and stains on them, watch you pick the wax from your ears, pull your knee socks up while wearing wrinkled shorts underneath or tear the sleeves off to shorten the arms..all with your bare(bear) hands.
ReplyDeleteGive that pass back before someone smacks you down!