Open the Judiciary To Scrutiny-By Harsha Sankar

Open the Judiciary To Scrutiny-By Harsha Sankar April 2001

Totalitarian and authoritarian societies operate in secret. Only free democratic nations have their governments readily transparent to the people they serve and protect.

Nearly every day, The Roanoke Times publishes articles about lawsuits being settled out of court for an undisclosed and confidential monetary amount. This goes against the principle of Government For,By,And Of The People.

Once public authority is involved, then all matters need to be made public record. The people’s courts aren’t private arbitration centers.

All information about complaints against lawyers, judges, prosecutors and public officials needs to be available to the public and press. There should be no secret meetings in judges’ chambers. Closed-court sessions should be outlawed. Secretive plea bargaining and grand-jury deliberations should be banned.

This needed exposure will not happen until bar associations are de-licensed and removed from the judge-selection process. Repeal of laws governing the unauthorized practice of law (a blatant infringement of free speech) is of vital essence too.

Harsha Sankar

908 Valley Ridge Road

Covington,Virginia 24426