Murray Newman's blog harriscountycriminaljustice.blogspot.com/ has exhaustively highlighted the ineptness of Pat Lykos' "leadership" in her blundering role as the "elected" Harris County District Attorney.
I urge readers who support justice, fair play and equal protection under the law, but are not familiar with Mr. Newman's blog, to read it critically......you will be shocked and saddened by his rendition at how the Harris County District Attorney's Office has been compromised and politicized.
An elucidation here on the Lykos laundry list of inappropriate behavior would be both exhausting and redundant; but the unfortunate consequences to the citizens of Harris County are easily apparent.
By all credible accounts, Lykos and her fledgling hand picked lieutenants promote a self-serving policy of arbitrary rule; utilizing fear and intimidation on employees to mask their own incompetence.
An astonishing exodus of seasoned prosecutors has been the result.
After the upcoming November elections, the competent prosecutorial cupboard will be bare.
Throwing the baby out with the bath water is not cleaning house; it is irresponsible behavior.
Prosecutors that endure will continue the chant: "stay under the radar".
The propagation of fearful cowering employees at a district attorney's office to placate the media and Defense Bar's accusation that the alternative is necessarily a "win at all costs" cavalier cowboy prosecutor type is absurd.
Prosecutors are not social workers or preschool teachers. A prosecutor is charged with pursuing JUSTICE at all costs; and everyone is not a winner.
When a prosecutor's work environment has defeated his mindset professionally and personally and by extension he thereby acquiesces when presented with a challenging, albeit righteous, criminal complaint; he has breached his sworn duty.
The disgrace inherent in one's acceptance of a losing mentality--whether in trial or in inappropriate plea deals to avoid courtroom humiliation and repercussions--casts a dark cloud of shame upon the entire District Attorney's office.
It might be politically correct to promote mediocrity in America; but the political beating down of prosecutors is exactly why the Harris County District Attorney's Office needs to be apolitical.
Circumventing the Texas state legislature to ease jail overcrowding and exploiting extra-jurisdictional issues such as illegal immigration is NOT within the course and scope of the elected DA's job description. The focus at DA office meetings with Division Chiefs should be on how to better train and supervise ADAs so that THEY can perform at the highest level; not to provide a figure head DA with bullet points to present at Republican womens' luncheons or media events.
Image over substance seems to have replaced the principle of having the courage to pursue truth and justice to the best of one's ability regardless of difficulty or political fallout.
When the political consequences of a prosecutor's actions become paramount in the fulfillment of her duties; that prosecutor has been rendered ineffective counsel for the people she has sworn to serve.
How dare an elected DA be more concerned with how she is judged by the Houston Chronicle than by the victims of crime who expect a fair and even handed ENFORCEMENT of the laws of the state of Texas?
The ones who never quite measure up on the merits are quick to condemn those that do. The excuse makers and others challenged by mediocrity are eager to discount the means and ability of the prosecutors who consistently bust their butts and win the arduous non-whale cases. To this ilk of angry underachievers, those who successfully prosecute a case without a harpoon must be either lucky or corrupt, racist, theatrical, unethical, Hitleresque, and all things Satanic. In fact, such a prosecutor is reduced to a greater personification of evil than the serial killer sentenced to the "inhumane" death chamber.
Well folks, I submit that luck is nothing more than the result of obsessive preparation that meets, recognizes and seizes opportunity; and luck is running out at the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
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25 comments:
If true why has none of this been published by mainstream media.I call bullshit on you and that Murray Newman guy.
Sounds like you received a bad performance review.
Anon 9:17,
Are you implying that Danny Dexter is Black Ink?
Please! You obviously missed the entire point of the post.
Performance reviews are generally a sham at the HCDAO....you have to really really perform poorly to get a bad evaluation; and that is another good topic to post on down the road.
Poor performers need to go and the rock star prosecutors need to be rewarded instead of scorned.
I'm afraid you missed the humor. But since you brought it up: Is that you, Danny?
Well said, Black Ink.
As for 3:09's question about why the media hasn't touched it, that's a good question. However, you can call bullshit all you want, and it won't change the truth.
Or an opposing view could be that all the malicious rhetoric posted by you and disgruntled employees and ex-employees under ANON creates an hostile work environment and puts the citizenry of Harris County at risk. Go away get a job, stop living off appointments, and quit giving the Democrats enormous opportunity to defeat all Republican Judges. Don't think for a second the Democrat joint judicial campaign is not going to label all Judges Chuckster Hucksters because a few rotten apples would not stand up to Chuck and now want to be Judges, brillant. Quit living up to the Chuckster Huckster labels you have become known. Pat Lykos will continue to use you as examples of corruption at the court house, justifiably. Get a life, realize Chuck is not coming back, and understand we all know you ruined a once credible work place by allowing Chuck to be Chuck, which is you, figuratively and collectively.
Perhaps the reason "none of this has been published by the mainstream media" is because the mainstream media have a special relationship with Lykos and don't want to jeopardize it. If you want to know the truth, just ask the folks in the trenches. Morale has never, ever been lower at the HCDA's Office. For the first time ever, an adversarial relationship exists between the administration and the rank and file ADAs. An atmosphere of fear and mistrust pervades the office, with some employees acting as informants for the 6th floor. Decisions are made capriciously, no policies are put in writing, and prosecutors know that they do not have the backing of upper management if something goes wrong. Black Ink and Murray are absolutely correct: One cannot vigorously seek justice if one is constantly looking over one's shoulder, wondering if one will be punished by a cadre of long-time defense attorneys for being "too aggressive," or fearing that the slightest mistake that gets bad press will result in termination. Pat Lykos has eviscerated an office that, just 4-5 years ago, was a model of what a District Attorney's Office should be. It is a disgrace and a shame and, ultimately, the ones who suffer will be the citizens of Harris County, who unwittingly elected an incompetent, mean-spirited, politician who knows nothing about stepping into a courtroom to stand up for the community. It is a tragedy.
Gack on a slag with a cherry on top.
Alex, I'll take unemployable law school charity cases for a thousand, please.
God, what a cry baby. I know you think you're some modern day combination of ADA and Voltaire, but seriously, stop your crying. The majority of the people in the county are glad that the Holmes/Rosenthal era, including all those they trained, is over. And especially glad that it didn't continue with Siegler, who is just a Rosenthal wanna-be.
Good riddance to bad rubbish. If your conscience is so beaten down, by your own admission you should leave too because you're violating your oath. So, go.
Very well written! The other people who commented would obviously be surprised to know that you are absolutely correct! What's going on in the office is crazy! And the media will never report on it!
Great post!
Eloquent and right on!
Anon 7:09,
Obama's blame game and yours doesn't change the facts.
Incompetentcy is not overcome simply by blaming your predecessor.
What an individual actually does when he steps up to the plate is how he shall be judged; not by the batters who struck out before him.
To clear up another inaccuracy-- every attorney who sees Lykos for the incompetent loon she is, is not, therefore, a Rosenthal associate.
I NEVER worked for Chuck Rosenthal and hold him in contempt for facilitating the ruination of the Harris County District Attorney's Office.....but for Rosenthal's escapades, Lykos and her sidekick would never have been able to prevail.
The way Rosenthal not only carried on; but also how he selfishly threw his co-workers,friends and family under the bus in the aftermath, rather than man up, is what gave Pat Lykos a job she is not remotely qualified to have.
Were it not for the trajic fallout, the irony in your protestations would be laughable.
Anon 6:03,
Hypothetically, if I had been at the HCDAO under Rosenthal, I would have been long gone before Lykos rolled in...there is NO way I would EVER work for someone like Pat Lykos.
What if Kelly Siegler really was a Rosenthal clone? She'd have thrown him under the bus early in the campaign and Lykos would have been crushed....loyalty has it's drawbacks but it doesn't make one a clone.
I for one hope that Kelly Siegler runs Pat Lykos out of Dodge in 2012...we'll just have to see.
Anon 603: Holmes and Siegler were both great prosecutors and served Harris County proudly and quite well. Your attempt to smear their reputations by comparing them to Rosenthal is right out of the Lykos playbook.
Y'all don't get to complain about Rosenthal now, but say the HCDAO was a great place to be before Lykos. The problem that you are paying for now is not that Lykos is in charge, it's that you were all too cowardly to help get rid of Rosenthal back then. Except that you were having a great time getting convictions at all costs back then, so even assuming you thought Rosenthal was a stooge at the time you were on the good side of the system so you were more than happy to keep the status quo.
Basically, you're just saying you don't like him now because he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. My guess is that y'all didn't know or didn't care what he was like back then. But if you did and didn't help get rid of him, well, that's even worse. It says a lot about your morals and character that you would be OK with him in charge, knowing what you knew.
Black Ink's post was a commentary on what a POS Judge Pat is. For Rosenthal to be used as a scapegoat at this juncture is not relevant to the fact that Pat Lykos is a POS. BTW, pre-Lykos the office ran well on cruise control in spite of Rosenthal. Chucky wasn't much of a leader or role model but JBH left a well run machine that the Chuckster didn't meddle with. Chuck's extracurricular activities kept him from interfering with an office that ran itself.
Anon 11:26 you friggin nailed it bro
There is something to be said for a boss with extra curricular activities that allow a well run office to run itself.
Not Chuck
"Why has none of this been published in the mainstream media?" Anonymous, are you naive, stupid, or just kidding? "Mainstream media" would be your first clue...
Not Chuck,
Agreed, as arrogant as the Chuckster was at least he knew his limitations and unless he decided to show his ass in front of the US Supremes he mostly let the chiefs run things.Patsy is just too arrogant to appreciate her failings and that is why she is so destructive.
Inkman
Has the Houston Chronicle asked you for an interview yet? Didn't think so since nobody outside of your little world gives a shit.
Anon 7:09,
"Don't think for a second the Democrat joint judicial campaign is not going to label all Judges Chuckster Hucksters because a few rotten apples would not stand up to Chuck and now want to be Judges, brillant..."
I know you can't be talking about Miss Rachael because if you were the Judge would pull you off the gubment teat.
I agree that we should not attack members of our party. Let's keep our issues inside and we will take care of the problem in'12. Change for the sake of good rather than for the sake of change.
Let the Obamanomics continue on its path of destruction like a virous destroying a computer.
Congrats to Marc Brown. Another sign of the right kind of change for the Republican party.
'12 will take care of the DA's Office. No need to publish what is not news. Imagine if a DEMOCRAT was in control of the DA's Office.
"anonymous" 7:09,
Does your enabler Pat Lykos have any talent besides not being Chuck Rosenthal? At some point the woman must realize it takes more to be DA than that. Just sayin'
A fellow pct chair referred me to your blog. As a blue haired Republican as you call them, I am very concerned about these posts. I have done some independent checking and am shocked at their veracity. Judge Pat Lykos has absolutely no business being DA. I reget supporting her and only did so on false representations and all the Chuck Rosenthal mess. Chuck tainted the much better candidate, Kelly Seigler. If Seigler runs in 2012 I will do all I can to support her in my precinct. Judge Pat needs to go. Keep up the blog it is getting more readership than you know.
I was told to read your blog by a former prosecutor I went to law school with at Texas. How did someone as unqualified as Patricia Lykos ever get elected as the DA of Harris County? It is truly amazing she beat somene as highly qualified as Kelly Siegler. I hope Ms. Seigler does decide to run again as you suggest.
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