This judge’s sentencing of election-denier election-saboteur Tina Peters is brilliant and shockingly humane – the way he compares this privileged defendant to the usual people who sit in the defendant’s chair – that the judge sees that there’s a difference – feels tremendously empowering and sadly surprising. If you know any public defenders, their clients are often treated with contempt or indifference by the court, who cares nothing that the client might lose their livelihood, and suffer violence, by going to Rikers instead of just getting bail and going home.
Peters’ judge, 21st Judicial District Judge Matthew Barrett, read a devastating sentencing to Peters – that every maga January 6 election denier ought to hear when they are sentenced for their crimes against the Republic.
This sentencing helps to smash the illusion and myth that 45’s supporters are regular working folks. No. Like the January 6 crowd, Ms. Peters is “as privileged as they come” – the judge calls her a “charlatan” twice. The judge even seems to take a stab at the SCOTUS immunity ruling, saying, “no one is above the law. No one in this country has absolute power.” And just like with 45: “In your world, it’s all about you.”
Even more striking, the judge states that the damage Peters caused is worse than the “violent crime” we’re all supposed to be shitting our pants about: “So the damage that is caused, and continues to be caused, is just as bad or worse than the physical violence that this court sees on an all too regular basis.”
excerpts:
“The defense, and Ms. Peters in particular, has remained quite defiant. Which is her right. But certainly not helpful for her lot today.
And in arguing why I should impose a particular sentence, she tells me about her ailments, her loss, her struggles in life.
But in reality, for those of you who may have been here [in the courtroom] earlier this morning and seen some of the folks who have occupied that chair before Ms. Peters, there could be not much in the way of comparison in terms of the type of sympathy that one would extend to Ms. Peters. Those folks didn’t have four lawyers representing them. They didn’t have a team of assistants helping them. They’re not getting rides in private jets all over the country. No, the people that sit in that chair suffer, generally speaking, immeasurable trauma in life. They struggle mightily with alcohol abuse, substance abuse, mental health struggles, family loss. They come from broken homes. The cards they were dealt were never the cards that you were dealt, Ms. Peters. So when I hear you discuss your husband, who sadly passed away recently; your family struggles, and your son who served our country admirably and made the ultimate sacrifice. I consider it. And I note too that he honored his oath to the country – something that is not lost on me when considering the circumstances under which you find yourself here.
Your lies are well documented, and these convictions are serious. I’m convinced you would do it all over again if you could. You’re as defiant a defendant as this court has ever seen. You don’t have those histories of drug and alcohol abuse, there’s no lifetime of trauma – not even close to the type of mitigating circumstances I would see from many folks who sit in that chair. No, to the contrary, Ms. Peters, you are a privileged person. You are as privileged as they come. And you used that privilege to obtain power, a following, and fame. And to be sure, there is no doubt in my mind that that is exactly what you wanted, and it defies all sense of common sense to believe when you suggested to me a few moments ago that you didn’t want this attention. No, you crave it, Maam. And there is no one in the courtroom who would consider that to be anything but the absolute truth.
It’s my impression distinctly: You never took your job of clerking particularly seriously. You didn’t complete the certification. One scandal after another followed you in your time as the clerk. And ultimately it was a belief that the echo-chamber in which you live couldn’t be wrong, among other things, that led you to do what you did here. This thought process, unfortunately, seems to consume so many in our country, regardless of race, gender, political affiliation or the like. That what it is we hear and think and can’t possibly be wrong.
There are many things in my mind that are crystal clear about this case: You are no hero. You abused your position. And you’re a charlatan, who used and is still using your prior position in office to peddle a snake-oil that’s been proven to be junk time and time again. In your world, it’s all about you.
But at bottom this case was about your corrupt conduct, and how no one is above the law. No one in this country has absolute power. Your position as a clerk and recorder, a constitutional position, does not provide you with a means to do your own investigation; to not listen to the judiciary; to not listen to the executives higher than you; to not listen to the legislature who sets the law as it may be. This is nonsense. Our system of government can’t function when people in government think somehow, some way, the power they’ve been given is absolute in all respects. And that’s where you fell. You have no respect for the checks and balances of government, you have no respect for this court, you have no respect for law enforcement. And you do not have respect for your fellow colleagues when you were a clerk and recorder who weren’t lock-step in your beliefs.
You have no qualms with violating the court’s orders because you’re “innocent,” because you “didn’t do anything wrong.” You were just “doing your job.” You have no problem trying to kick an officer – your explanation about what happened is preposterous. It’s on video. You have no problem lying to officers. It’s happened multiples times: they’re recorded conversations. It’s just more lies. No objective person believes them.
You abdicated your position as a servant to the constitution, and you chose you over all else. Yes, you are a charlatan. And you cannot help but lie – as easy as it is for you to breathe. You betrayed your oath for no one other than you. And this is what makes Ms. Peters such a danger to our community: it’s the position she held that has provided her the pulpit from which she can preach these lies. The undermining of our democratic process. The undermining of our belief and confidence in election systems. It’s not about questioning it. No one says you can’t question, and ask. It’s completely different. And if you don’t understand that distinction, then there’s nothing I can say or do here today that will change your mind.
So the damage that is caused, and continues to be caused, is just as bad or worse than the physical violence that this court sees on an all too regular basis. And it’s particularly damaging when those words come from someone who holds a position of influence like you. Every effort to undermine the integrity of our elections and the public’s trust in our institutions has been made by you. You’ve done it from that lectern the voting public provided you with. Everything you’ve done has been done to retain control, influence. The damage is immeasurable. And every time it gets refuted, every time it’s shown to be false, another tale is weaved.
Prison is for those folks, where we send people who are a danger to all of us. Whether it be by the pen, or the sword, or the word of the mouth.
I mentioned before that there are no mental health concerns. There’s no good reason why you’re here, Ms. Peters, other than these are all the active decisions that you made that cost our county significantly… The expense, the toll, is immeasurable.”