Post by Logan on Apr 10, 2016 4:11:11 GMT -6
Virginia legislators who regularly argue before district court judges do marginally better than other lawyers in getting their clients off, district court case records show.
Complaints that legislators who practice law have an unfair advantage have swirled around the General Assembly and judicial elections for decades.
It's a distinctively Virginia worry, too: Virginia and South Carolina are the only places where the state legislature elects judges.
If there is an edge, it's one that neither legislators nor judges feel. And legal scholars say any advantage would be hard to pinpoint. They warn that statistics can miss a variety of circumstances, from the quality of evidence to a defendant's prior record, that affect how a case is resolved.
Read more: www.dailypress.com/news/crime/dp-nws-legislator-lawyers-20160410-story.html
Complaints that legislators who practice law have an unfair advantage have swirled around the General Assembly and judicial elections for decades.
It's a distinctively Virginia worry, too: Virginia and South Carolina are the only places where the state legislature elects judges.
If there is an edge, it's one that neither legislators nor judges feel. And legal scholars say any advantage would be hard to pinpoint. They warn that statistics can miss a variety of circumstances, from the quality of evidence to a defendant's prior record, that affect how a case is resolved.
Read more: www.dailypress.com/news/crime/dp-nws-legislator-lawyers-20160410-story.html