It's a holiday miracle! Texas Judge William Adams, the family court adjudicator caught beating his disabled daughter on video, has been suspended from his post by the state's supreme court. Considering the last we'd heard on the case indicated the statute of limitations for child abuse had run out, it hardly matters that the court is mum on just why Adams is off the job.
Justice feels too good to question it. Adams has been caught up in the type of scandal that would normally put a father in front of the bench rather than manning it. The 2004 video, uploaded by now 23-year-old Hillary Adams, was so disturbing that many Internet surfers (me included) couldn't watch it in its entirety. But news he wouldn't be charged left us all wondering:
Shouldn't judges be held to a higher authority than Joe Schmo? Especially when they're caught, dead to rights, on video? We're not talking about allegations here!
I've always had the feeling that statutes of limitations are put in place to make life easier for the police. There are only so many crimes they can follow up on. If every Tom, Dick, and Harry can come out of the woodwork 40 years after a crime has been committed to complain, the resources of our law enforcement will be taxed beyond belief. It's common sense.
But a judge isn't just a Tom, a Dick, or a Harry. He's got the authority to determine what is and isn't just. But getting respect means giving respect. Just like us parents who are advised to practice what we preach, a judge who is out committing crimes is destroying his own credibility.
The Supreme Court move may not fall in line with we all hoped would happen to Judge Williams, but it's certainly good for Hillary and for the sanctity of the court. Here's hoping they keep him off the bench for good!
Could you respect a judge who had committed a crime?
Image via Aransas County