I looked for a snark tag. But after this judge has allowed the case to continue there isn't much hope in justice being served. Just the fact that water soluble chalk is being assessed as 6k in damages is sufficient to show that facts are no longer of interest to the court. Just the word of a bank shown to be committing fraud on a grand scale as to ensure profit margins.
So the defendant floored by the dystopian nature of his trial is being silenced inside and outside the courtroom.
Judge Howard Shore issued a gag-order in a San Diego, California courtroom this week against Jeff Olson, a 40-year-old activist that used washable children’s chalk to scribble anti-bank slogans in public space last year.
According to the San Diego Reader, the gag-order issued on Friday also applies to witnesses, members of the jury and potentially others, a measure that Truth-Out editor Mark Karlin said is “unprecedented” for a misdemeanor trial.
Olson has been charged with 13 misdemeanor counts of vandalism for chalking slogans such as “No Thanks, Big Banks" and "Shame on Bank of America" on the sidewalks outside of branches in the San Diego area throughout 2012. Now as the criminal trial against him wages on in Southern California, the defendant and anyone remotely involved in the case are reportedly muzzled by a ban that could bring media coverage of the case to a grinding halt.
Since Daily Kos has more than the average share of legal beagles perhaps they will enlighten us in how to remove this judge.
H/T to Jen Hayden: petition the prosecution to drop charges