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*** UPDATE *** Judge Kelley just called and said he has zero recollection of saying the phrase “trailer trash,” and said he doesn’t usually say things like that. The judge did say, however, that he used the term “trailer park” numerous times, and admitted that it was probably a poor choice of words. He was apparently displeased when the GOP didn’t completely abide by an agreement hashed out the previous day, and he said he was flabbergasted when the two sides began arguing loudly in his court room.
Anyway, he doesn’t have a transcript at the moment and neither do I, but I’ve been an admirer of Judge Kelley’s work for a long time, so I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt here.
*** UPDATE 2 *** A lawyer who was present claims the judge didn’t use the trailer trash phrase.
[ *** End of Updates *** ]
* This got absolutely no news coverage today, but a pal of mine was in the courtroom yesterday and confirmed that Judge Kelley did, indeed, call the Illinois Republicans “trailer trash.” From a press release…
A visibly angry Sangamon Circuit judge Thursday chastised Republication Party leaders for seeking to silence U. S. Senate candidate Andy Martin. The judge compared the Republican tactics to “trailer trash.”
“I feel as tough I am overseeing a trailer park,” Chief Sangamon Circuit Judge Patrick Kelley said in an emergency hearing. The court protracted [sic] Andy Martin’s free speech rights for the second day in a row.
Among other things, the Republicans allegedly attempted to prevent the perennial candidate Martin from campaigning on the State Fair’s Director’s Lawn, the location of the annual Republican Day event. Judge Kelley ordered them to allow Martin to campaign.
Martin is what you could call a rather “colorful” character. He regularly sues people whom he believes have slighted him. But the man did receive over 240,000 votes in the GOP US Senate primary last year and won quite a few counties.
Still, it is rather surprising - and wholly newsworthy - that the widely respected Republican jurist Kelley would direct such harsh remarks towards his own party leaders.
* I want all of you to use extreme caution in comments on this post. Extreme. I don’t want anybody filing lawsuits. Not that anyone would succeed, but I don’t need any aggravation. Lifetime bans could be issued for violators. Understood? Thanks.
* Meanwhile, speaking of lawsuits, this was quick…
A federal lawsuit filed by Cook County political insider Victor Santana against the county’s tax appeal board has been tossed out.
U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur determined Santana’s lawsuit, which alleges he was made a “scapegoat” in a brewing corruption scandal, was improperly written and in some cases appeared to lack merit.
“Neither the defense counsel nor this court may fairly be required to cope with such an obviously noncompliant pleading,” penned Shadur of Santana’s 70-page lawsuit that alleges everything from conspiracy to constitutional violations.
The lawsuit was filed by Santana against the Cook County Board of Review for banning him from the private office areas and allegedly implying to the media that he was part of a scandal over fixing property tax appeals.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 9:51 am
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Martin’s right to attend Republican Day should never have been infringed upon. While the Judge’s remarks may seem un-judgelike, having to officiate such nonsense must be frustrating.
Comment by Anon Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 9:58 am
Uhhh, “no comment”. You have got me scared, Rich.
Just teasing.
My thoughts are that the judge’s comments were probably hastily spoken. He probably wishes today that he had chosen his words a little better when he spoke them. If he is an elected judge, there go all of his votes from the Illinois voters that happen to live in trailer courts. Ha-ha
Comment by Beowulf Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:00 am
If you don’t want the judge to call you “trailer trash”, then don’t cut the sleeves off of your Pantera t-shirt until after the hearing.
– MrJM
Rest in Peace, Dimebag!
Comment by MrJM Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:00 am
Where oh where to begin…..
How about with the noted jurist who issued the completely on target description of the CircularFiring Squad. He was the SangaMo County States Atty …elected as a GOP….so he clearly knows his stuff….
The Anthony Robert Martin Trigona order was consistent with the the edict issued by “Gags” Brady for his opening 24 hours as state chairman.
Let’s stop there to make sure we are ok with Capt Fax’s directive….Too bad there was no vided of “Gags” beauty pageant strut
Comment by CircularFiringSquad Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:10 am
Trailer park dwellers and obese people—the last of the groups it is still considered “OK” to trash and make fun of.
Comment by Responsa Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:10 am
Martin may have a right to free speech but he does not have a right to disrupt an assembly by drowning out speakers with a bullhorn and making outlandish and offensive accusations. This wan’t a guy who wanted to stand in the village square and speak his mind. He deliberately wanted to disrupt the program at the fair with his hate-filled rantings. We see citizens getting hauled out of town hall meetings when they get too carried away in their rhetoric and that is perfectly legal. Kelly’s choice of words was inappropriate and belies an arrogance that indicates he didn’t want to be bothered with doing his job.
Comment by E Pluribus Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:11 am
3..2..1.. Lawuit!
Comment by Team America Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:13 am
Or lawsuit, if you prefer.
Comment by Team America Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:14 am
Responsa, I would add Mormons to your list. Remember when the Utah Jazz made the NBA playoffs?
Rich, OT I know, but anything to walk this back a little….
Comment by Way South of the Border Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:24 am
The party of CommandoKirk and ChopperJim calling others disruptive…boy this section will be a Hall of Famer
Comment by CircularFiringSquad Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:25 am
Speaking for trailer trash everywhere, I would like to thank Judge Kelly for not truly insulting my “ilk” by comparing us to Illinois Democrats. That would hurt my feelings.
Comment by skhicks Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:26 am
It’s hard to be sure from Martin’s release, but it seems there had been a judge-brokered deal on Wednesday to let him in.
I’ve covered a lot of judges over the years, and they don’t like it when authorities ignore or try to subvert their rulings. (I’m just guessing here, but I bet the judge has had some dustups with one of the GOP lawyers in the past. That happens, too).
And if they think there isn’t any press in the room, judges are known to display pretty severe non-judicial temperaments (it’s good to be the judge).
So the GOP makes extraordinary moves to keep Martin from getting the attention of a few curious fairgoers. That’s what Royko used to call peeling a grape with an ax.
The result? A humiliating beatdown from a GOP judge, and it’s splashed all over the Cap Fax.
That will compel the AP and SJR to do a story, then the local TV, etc. Martin couldn’t have cooked up such publicity in a million years.
Good day’s work from the GOP braintrust.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:28 am
Wordslinger- no worries. If Martin does get press, and catapults himself into the lead in the ‘anybody but Kirk’ segment, once the voters really get a load of him, Kirk is a primary shoo-in.
Comment by Team America Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:35 am
–Trailer park dwellers and obese people—the last of the groups it is still considered “OK” to trash and make fun of.–
Are you kidding? Half of American sitcoms revolve around “Moron Fathers.” Last year after football on Sundays, Fox had four or five shows in a row.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:35 am
TA, I seriously doubt that was the gameplan going in.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:36 am
No argument, wordslinger, but it’s the results that count. And, while it might be good for Kirk in the end, I agree that party doesn’t come off too well.
Comment by Team America Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:38 am
I have no problem with him going after party leaders on the 2nd amendment. However, for a judge to use a term like that is inappropriate and shows his own personal bigotry.
I think gives anyone who lives in a trailer park involved in legal action can reasonably ask to not have this man as their judge.
Comment by Hon. Cranial Lamb Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:41 am
Perhaps some clarification might be in order - I was at the event and saw Martin expanding the right to free speech beyond what any rational person would see as reasonable. Martin said, and I quote, that if mark Kirk had the chance, he would boil babies in oil. The fact that such slander was allowed by the sangamon county judge is beyond me, as well as the fact that thousands of conservatives vote for a man who not only says ridiculous and untrue things, but settles disputes through lawsuits with such regularity that he makes a political name for himself solely through that practice. Martin is ridiculous. If you go on his blog and look for his stances, you’ll find nothing but anti-Kirk rants. He’s nothing but a publicity-stunting megalomaniac.
Comment by Petey Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:52 am
3…2…1 Another lawsuit!
Comment by Team America Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 10:59 am
What happened to Judge Kelley is what happens when someone is willing to correct a situation where a skunk is ruining a garden party. They end up stinking too.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 11:06 am
Maybe Sean Hannity will bring Martin-Trigona back on his show, lending him some much needed credibility. Oh wait, he’s bashing fellow Republicans and not Obama. Nevermind.
Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 11:06 am
Calling Republicans trailer park trash is _______ __ _________! They are the most ______ and _______ and deserve _______. I would also call them _______ _____ ________ !!!
(Self-censored)
Comment by KGB Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 11:15 am
People who were at the fair, was Andy Martin still talking about wanted to “eliminate Jew power”?
And Rich, before you ban me, that phrase appeared in the NAME of one of Martin’s many political committees.
Comment by so... Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 11:28 am
So,
All sorts of moronic and despicable speech is allowed under the 1st Amendment. Watch the Fox News lineup. It’s a price you pay.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 11:33 am
I am very offended by what that judge said. I don’t care who you are or where you came from, you should never call anyone trailer trash. What a shame.
Comment by No Trailer Trash Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 11:50 am
Well, Martin got his 10 minutes…
Comment by Commonsense in Illinois Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 12:48 pm
I would never vote for Andy Martin and he’s apparently got some baggage. But when he’s right, he’s right.
Comment by Just sayin Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 1:01 pm
===============
Well, Martin got his 10 minutes…
===============
Yup. Five more to go to wrap it up.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 1:36 pm
Just saw Rich’s update. I’ve spent the last few minutes trying to figure out how Judge Kelley’s recollection of using the term “trailer park” might have fit into the little “trailer trash” vignette described earlier–and can’t. Whatever he actually said it’s good to know the judge is embarrassed and realizes he did not acquit himself well in that instance.
Comment by Responsa Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 2:28 pm
Who is Victor Santana’s lawyer? Is the lawsuit online?
Comment by Steve Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 3:36 pm
Who does Judge Kelley think he is?… insulting every person who ever lived in a mobile home or
so called ‘trailerpark?’ He is a spoiled rich kid, raised by rich, white parents in Springpatch who doesn’t have a clue what it means to struggle or get by from check to check. I would ask for him to be recused if I ever appear before him. What a bigot.
Comment by Tunes Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 4:00 pm
Judge Kelly is just a Jeff Foxworthy/Blue collar comedy fan.
Comment by Ghost Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 4:00 pm
HA! The Judge was thinking of Sarah Palin and her ilk when he said that, and he know’s that he said it.
Comment by okay then... Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 4:11 pm
A couple of clarifications may be in order to your active web post. First, the reader who suggested there was a deal reached Wednesday for my presence at Thursday’s Republican Day is correct. We reached an amicable settlement on Wednesday. Part of the deal was that I would forego a bullhorn, and only use my own voice. I honored the deal. Republicans reneged. That was why the judge was so angry. (The claim I used a bullhorn is thus completely false.)
Second, for the writer who says he “was there” when I said Kirk would boil partial birth aborted babies in oil, I was obviously saying that in a tongue-in-cheek manner and poking fun at Kirk’s support for partial birth abortion. If you are for killing living babies, as Kirk is, how does it change the context if you ridicule such a position by comparing it to boiling babies in oil? Killing living babies is killing living babies. I seem to remember the satirist Jonathan Swift used similar exaggeration. Lighten up. (Unless you are afraid the partial birth abortion supporters don’t care what happens with the dead babies’ “carcasses.”)
I am sorry some of your readers do not like me. Most people who know me view me as a reasonable person. But I respect your readers’ right to free speech. Now if only the Republican Party would respect my right to free speech, we would not be embarrassed on February 2nd by Mark Kirk as our senate candidate.
And yes, my web sites and blogs are filled with anti-Kirk remarks. Kirk’s ridiculous campaign as a “Republican” for statewide office is the only issue in the primary. In my not-so-humble opinion, I am the strongest candidate to defeat Kirk. Why do you think they are censoring me and trying to undermine my campaign? Because I am a chumbolone like the other “senate candidates” they allowed to speak in Springfield? No. They are seeking to muzzle me because I am the only option to beat Kirk.
If I do defeat Kirk, I am probably the only Republican who can also go on to defeat Giannoulias. Who do you want in Washington? Andy or Alexi?
The theme of our Springfield operation was: “Get real.” (Our Springfield brochure is available on request.)
Your readers are always free to contact me with their opinions.
Finally, I also have the highest respect and admiration for Judge Kelley. He is an extraordinary talented and decent jurist. The judge dealt exceptionally fairly with all parties at the hearing on Wednesday. We all left smiling that a deal had been reached. The judge became angry on Thursday when Republican lawyers reneged, and a slimy lawyer for the Department of Agriculture, Margaret Van Dijk, as well as Republican John Fogarty, insulted the judge’s efforts by telling Illinois State Police their was “no court order” for my presence at the Fair an filing a false criminal complaint against me.
When parties settle a case by agreement, the Court usually does not enter a formal order. Judges trust lawyers to be honest with the court and each other. Fogarty and Van Dijk lied to the Court and to the State Police. They will be held accountable.
As soon as I arrived at the State Fair, Fogarty violated the earlier agreement with the judge. The lawyers lied; the judge was angry. Case closed.
Republicans are also giving Kirk access to the party’s Voter Vault, and denying me access. The court battle goes on.
And no, no one is going to be sued for voicing his opinion on TheCapitolFax blog. I sued because they were denying me free speech. The judge said Wednesday I had filed a valid lawsuit. Why can’t some of your readers respect the fact that the judge rule din my favor and respected my legal acumen, and respect me for fighting to open up the Republican Party and fight for the free speech rights of everyone?
Andy Martin
Comment by Andy Martin Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 7:25 pm
Sorry for a few typos.
Comment by Andy Martin Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 7:28 pm
As Colombo would say, One more point: the judge engaged in more criticism of the Republican Party on Thursday. Out of brevity (!) I have not addressed those additional criticisms he lodged. I only answered what was already posted on your site.
Comment by Andy Martin Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 7:40 pm
I know a judge Kelly from Mc Lean co. he had 3 DUI’s but not one was reported.
Comment by ZIGGY Thursday, Aug 27, 09 @ 1:58 am