Upholding the Constitution of the United States
The American system of justice created by Founders is the greatest system of justice on earth. But to remain true to our Founders’ values, we must remain true to the principles of the Constitution. Plea bargains NEVER existed in the Constitutional system of checks and balances. Over time, we have become addicted to them. The result is that we have largely lost our best method for determining truth in criminal cases – the jury trial. Without the ability to know the truth in a criminal case, there can be no justice for the violent the violent and dangerous who invariably serve less time in prison than they would have had the government proven its case at trial.
If you’re like me, the gradual and persistent drift away from America’s core constitutional values is extremely concerning. It seems to be everywhere we turn these days. And, our criminal justice system is no exception. Our founders crafted a system of justice that sought to have the accused be judged by a jury of their peers. Hundreds of years later, we have gotten off track for the sake of convenance and convenience. The jury trial system was designed to help avoid the overreach of government tyranny, not cater to the political preferences of the day.
Keeping the public safe should be the number one priority of any elected official. Plea bargains, by definition, allows criminals to plead guilty to lesser charges in exchange for more lenient sentences or an agreement to drop other charges. This may or may not benefit the accused and free up time for prosecutors but…does it serve the victims? Does it protect the public as it truly should? Does it really prove guilt or the lack thereof? The violent and dangerous belong in prison and We must insist that government do the work proving guilt so justice can truly be served.
It is my desire to see true justice served in every case and that can only be done if we honor our obligation to our founders and our constitution. A commitment to that noble goal will help us ensure that we keep violent offenders off our streets and out of our neighborhoods while affording the accused the fundamental benefit of innocence until guilt has been proven.
My record shows that I am faithful to the constitutional intentions of our criminal justice system. I have no interest in short cuts that prioritize convenience and levy punishments outside the boundaries of real justice as it was intended.
I ask for your support in our upcoming County Convention.