As if the case of Ashton Lundeby isn’t enough to fuel the fire of an apparent decline in the justice system here in the United States, take a look at this story about a man who spent 83 days in jail for failing to show up to jury duty. He couldn’t afford the $1,500 bail and his requests for a public defender were denied. Further, the judge who initially issued his arrest warrant in 2003 has since retired and the case was then placed under the jurisdiction of his replacement, but the case but the offense didn’t fall under that courts responsibility.
If the man, Douglas Maupin, hadn’t written to a local newspaper about his plight, how long could he have ended up spending in the county jail? Even the current judge thought the time he spent was “unacceptable.” Thankfully in Maupin’s case, it will be investigated further.
On a side note, some people question why I’m a liberal. This is the reason why. Here you have a man who, even after contacting family members, can’t afford his bail, and he spends months in jail. It’s $1,500 and/or a public defender who could have had everything resolved fairly quickly, at I would presume a lower cost than it was to keep him alive in jail. Is it greed or just mistreatment of the poor, or even a combination of both? Either way, it is unacceptable and for a country that prides itself on its legal system, this is yet another travesty.
I believe that we can’t sacrifice liberty for increased safety, and right below that on my list of things that shouldn’t be sacrificed is justice for the sake of anything. A court system that does not distribute justice fairly would constitute a power far greater than the government, making this not a country of the people or politicians but of the judges and where their verdict lands. This is a dangerous pattern America, I hope these stories are just unusually close to each other, as news stories tend to do.
It has been 66 days since Ashton Lundeby was taken into custody by federal authorities and he has not seen any justice.
Free Ashton Lundeby!