Cool Justice
Chatigny: Profile In Courage
The big story revealed by Chatigny's intervention has little to do with Ross. Rather, the big story is a tale of sensory deprivation, behavior modification, mind control, learned helplessness and psychological torture in a state-sanctioned factory for insanity. Northern should be the site of an international sadist's convention. Maybe it already is.
By ANDY THIBAULT, Columnist
Law Tribune Newspapers
February 7, 2005
My friend is generally mild-mannered, occasionally ebullient. He has helped me navigate the thicket of criminal prosecution and politics many times. In 25 years, he has yelled at me only once: when I wrote something sharply critical about Robert Chatigny.
Before Chatigny became a federal judge, his clients included Woody Allen. Allen was being investigated for the alleged sexual assault of his lover's daughter. Around this time, Chatigny also sat on the state's Judicial Selection Commission. The prosecutor pursuing Allen, Frank Maco, was a candidate for a state judgeship.
Allen spent huge amounts of money hiring many private investigators to dig up dirt on the prosecution team, including state police detectives. Allen had his lawyers file a grievance against Maco after the prosecutor announced that although there was probable cause to arrest Allen, he would not proceed with a trial because of the harm it would cause the young girl.
"Chatigny is looking at Maco's shorts for a judgeship, and now Woody has this grievance," was the way a state investigator assessed the situation.
I didn't think this was fair or right. Somehow the U.S. Senate didn't follow my editorial advice, and Chatigny was confirmed as a judge. Maco was ultimately exonerated - though criticized - by the Statewide Grievance Committee. He retired as a prosecutor.
Certainly this colors my view of Chatigny. But, I respect some of his friends. They always tell he how Chatigny is such a sharp and ethical guy. After 10 years, their views began to dent my head a little bit.
My perspective broadened upon reading the transcript of Chatigny reaming T.R. Paulding for what can be characterized fairly as incompetence in Paulding's representation of serial killer Michael Ross. The supporting documents for this interchange on Jan. 28 reveal the so-called Northern Correctional Institution to be Connecticut's version of a modern-day concentration camp in which no one - inmate or staff member - stands much of a chance of remaining sane.
The big story revealed by Chatigny's intervention has little to do with Ross. Rather, the big story is a tale of sensory deprivation, behavior modification, mind control, learned helplessness and psychological torture in a state-sanctioned factory for insanity. Northern should be the site of an international sadist's convention. Maybe it already is.
As former Deputy Correction Commissioner John Tokarz put it in an affidavit presented to Chatigny: "I can best describe Northern as living in a submarine or a cave. On many occasions it was suggested that Department staff assigned to Northern should be rotated every two years because of the [effect] the conditions at Northern could have on their mental health … It would not surprise me if an inmate subject to such conditions long-term would prefer execution over life at Northern's death row."
Chatigny confronted Paulding with his failure to investigate allegations of brainwashing at Northern. "My investigation in a typical run-of-the-mill injury case would be more comprehensive than your investigation of this," the judge told Paulding.
Chatigny was right. His intervention was proper, and certainly within his discretion regarding the matter before him.
Justice should take its course, and include a full investigation - by an outside party, not the state -- of the structure and conditions at Northern.
Those who favor executing Ross should know it is not Chatigny's fault they didn't get their wish right away. It's the fault of those who designed, built and administer Northern -- and all of us who let it continue to operate.
Law & Justice In Everyday Life by Andy Thibault at Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
3 comments:
Chatigney's flaw is not how he rules but the manner in which he conducts himself. He is a bully from the Bench and delays cases to suit his own agenda. These are facts. What he did to Attorney Paulding was wrong and he knew it. Paulding is not responsible for Northern and Ross would be executed regardless. Chatigney does not support civil rights and it is no surprise local hack Republicans are rushing to his aid; a sheep in wolves clothes?
Read Pattis post on Chatigney’s rise to the second circuit; another act of insanity by the “man” He ALWAYS treated me like shit and was rude, condescending and had an annoying habit of threatening sanctions all the time. He seemed more conservative and once told me my suits on behalf of cops were a ridiculous thing since “aren’t they all on the same side.” Put that in the dumbshit ignorant category
What is really difficult to figure out is how he gets such raves in that manual where lawyers and law clerks review judges but in the courthouse everyone feared him, and not out of some reverence or respect.
It became impossible not to consider that this notion of his being so "ethical," is disingenuos at best and coming from a bunch of elite jerks.
The facts that I know are of a judge that bullied people, and was a tyrant, a hypocrit when he could get away with it.
Ross was a death penalty case. Because of that, and only because of that, it was excusable. If it is the only tirade on the record, that might be why. But this notion that it was some exceptional, unusual behavior. I know better. He uses court staff to perform thuggery.
The introduction of Chatigny by Dodd and Lieberman before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 28, available in streaming video on the Senate Judiciary Web site, was truly disgusting and shows just how blatantly and tyrannically a very very few hold all the power in Connecticut.
Contrast it with Warner and Webb's introduction of their nominee from Virginia, if you need an example of UNdebauchery.
Perhas the raves he gets are just following the absolute power he wields and frankly abuses, and more behind the scenes than on the record.
Post a Comment