2/2/09

On Judge Curtissa E. Cofield

With permission from Wayne Bennett, AKA: The Field Negro, a lawyering kind of guy sometimes seen running the streets of Philadelphia. A local Hartford Judge gets in trouble for a DUI, and then makes matters worse for herself:

Here Come Da Drunk.



Before I start this post, let me say congrats O man for getting your stimulus package passed in the house today. I know the rethugs are fit to be tied, but fuck em, they don't have a party anymore; they are totally irrelevant.

Okay now that I got that off my chest I want to talk about Judge Curtissa E. Cofield.

Honestly, I don't want to pile on the good judge, lord knows she has been getting it from all quarters, and rightfully so. Getting busted for DUI was bad inexcusable behavior for someone who sits in judgement of others, but what really set me off about this story was her behavior after she was arrested. This happened back in October, but this is the You Tube age, and the video of her little ep. recently went public.

Seriously folks, the self hatred that some Negroes display on a daily basis is astonishing to me. Now here is a supposedly educated woman calling out an African American police officer for doing his job. "Well, they got the head n----- in charge and he … Which one, the head n----- in charge?" Now Judge, was that really necessary? "Oh, no. We don't. We're ghetto Negroes. We don't have Triple-A." Well Judge, I hate to break it to you, but you are a serious "ghetto Negro". I don't care where you live, or what you do for a living. Being a "ghetto Negro" is a state of mind. And your state of mind is seriously fucked up. Ahh but come on field, this was black on black hate, what's the big deal? It's a huge deal. Because a lot of our problems as a community stem from black on black hate. And for a Judge, of all people, to be displaying these characteristics, just makes the story even more sad.

In the Islands we have an expression for Negroes like the good Judge: "Neva si cum si" Translated: Never had shit, but now they do. Mrs. Field calls these people "new". As in that Negro done got "new". This Judge obviously can't get over herself, and it only took a little alcohol in her system to bring out the.....well, "ghetto".

Oh well, here is hoping that the good Judge won't allegedly drink and drive anymore. It's a dangerous a deadly practice. Hopefully she will have learned a lesson, and here is hoping that she writes a long letter to that state trooper apologizing for her ignorant and crass behavior.

Apparently the Judicial Review Board might have the final say in this episode, and honestly, I am not from Hartford, so I don't know what type of jurist this woman is. But what I do know is that she might just want to do some serious soul searching.

"I'm not signing anything, because when it comes down to the bottom line, who's smarter — me or you? We'll figure it out, won't we?"

Judge, we already did, and it ain't you.


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Well said, Wayne...

We have already established that the client is a fool,
she does not need a lawyer that is one.


While these actions and statements are reprehensible from someone in a position of authority, especially given Judge Cofield's unique position on the bench, I think that Helen Urbinas is beyond a little harsh in this Courant Blog post condemning the judge for taking the basic actions that any lawyer would be a fool not to suggest as the way to go for a client. In this case it would seem the lawyer has the herculean task of protecting the client from herself.

And as bad as what Judge Cofield did clearly was, she, like anyone else, deserves honest representation and a fair trial.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Field, it wasn't until after I'd dated a judge that I realized the phrase "sober as a judge" is meant to be ironic.

Connecticut Man1 said...

Field's Blog is at the link in the post... But thank you for the ironic and humorous comment. :)

Life As I Know It Now said...

alcoholism is a serious disease. just look at what it's doing to someone who is obviously smart enough in her own right, but is still being laid low by the bottle. here's hoping she can find some recovery.

Connecticut Man1 said...

If she is an alcoholic, I hope so too, Liberality.