On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 10:27:56 -0500, "Bill Kambic"
wrote:

"Peter Skelton" wrote in message

We have conditional and absolute discharge, ie. the court saying
don't do it again, and don't bug us with this trivia respectively
to deal with this sort of sillyness. Isn't there something
similar in the states?

No, Sir.

Life can get a bit unpleasant for a judge
who lets things get tied up with too much effort for too little
crime.

Our Federal judges serve for life or good behavior (U.S. Constitution, Art.
III, Sec. 1).

Not much can happen to such an official who does get "tied down" in trivia.

It's not perfect but it helps

Perhaps. On the other hand it does keep the heavy hand of any given
administration from bringing direct pressure on judges for some specific
outcome.

Judges here are not subject to job pressure from politicians, but
there is a certain amount of peer review, and their decisions
are, of course, public knowledge. How do you react to a coworker
who's anal slowness keeps you from your family or who's nasty
behaviour makes customers yell at you?

Peter Skelton