New Web site rates Kansas judges
Story by Liz Zamora (Contact)
Originally published 10:55 a.m., August 29, 2008
Updated 05:38 p.m., August 29, 2008
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If you've ever wanted to find out more about Shawnee County District judges, the information is now available right on the internet.
"This is a very exciting new change actually," State Rep. Joe Patton said.
The new Web site, Kansasjudicialperformance.org, helps educate voters on deciding which judges need to stay and which need to go.
Voters don't have a say on which judges are appointed, but they can vote them out.
"The old system you'd go into the ballot box and you'd have a list of judges and you'd know nothing about them," he said.
Related links
Voters, get information judges in the Kansas Judicial Report Card. You can see the evaluations of all Kansas judges including those from Shawnee County. Just tap into the link above and scroll down the page.
Watch KTKA's stories on lenient sentences given to sexual offenders and learn more about a group that advocates judicial accountability at KansansforJudicialAccountability.com.
Patton has recently pushed for legislation to make judges adhere to the sentencing guidelines. That issue has been a hot topic in Shawnee County, where Judge Matthew Dowd had come under fire for deviating from the sentencing guidelines in cases involving sex abuse.
The evaluations on the site survey attorneys, jurors and anyone who has dealt with the court system. They use criteria like overall impartiality and willingness to give participants a fair opportunity to be heard. The judges are all evaluated on a 4.0 grading scale.
While it makes information valuable to voters more accessible, Claudine Drombowski isn't sold on the Web site.
"It is the fox watching the hen house? There's no doubt about it. And the fox has been watching it for a very long time," Drombowski said.
She says the only real way to evaluate their performance is to look at their records, and she believes that should be included on the Web site.
Drombowski and Michael Burlison started their own Web site, Kansansforjudicialaccountability.com.
Burlison's daughter was raped, and Dowd sentenced the man to three years probation.
On Kansasjudicialperformance.org recommendation for retention only requires a grade of 2.0, which all Shawnee County judges have met or exceeded.
Patton says that Kansasjudicialperformance.org may not be perfect, but says it's a start.
"It's a good step for keeping judges publicly accountable, and I'm all about accountability," she said.
Comments
Note: ktka.com does not necessarily condone the comments here, nor vouch for the factual claims made therein. Nor do we review every post.
Sep. 1, 2008 at 11:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)PAJOE (anonymous)
It's about time! these judges need to be accountable for their actions. Too much corruption in the court system. You go Claudine keep it up.You will and can make a difference.These judges need to start doing the right thing and FOLLOW THE LAWS!
Sep. 1, 2008 at 12:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)Fireflight (anonymous)
If we can't view what there doing.How can we rate them.
Then we learn by chance that there getting away with the unknown.
Except we know as mothers it's not human nature to take kids away from mothers that tried to protect.
Then on top of that!
Then the judge is backing up who the abusers.The abuse has to stop.Including Judge abuse of laws!
What country our we in remind me!
Star
Sep. 1, 2008 at 12:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)nancio (anonymous)
Yes, judges need to adhere to the sentencing guidelines, and they also need to stop misusing Judicial Discretion. I like the web site Claudine and Michael have put together - demanding Judicial Accountabilty is a huge step above just rating Judicial Preformance.
I think many people in Kansas will learn that 'things are not what they appear to be' in their local courthouse. Knowledge is Power, keep it up Claudine & Michael!
NanciO
Sep. 1, 2008 at 4:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)Free2Dream (anonymous)
judge luenburger meets actually exceeds on the grade card! wth?- recall mason-? he feels sorry for the fbi cyber sting perps' this is sick. they must really think we are stupid.
did you see todays front page cj news?? dowd retirement party. what a good judge -sigh-
him and anderson they need to get the hell away from cases now dowd is teaching at wu..
what's they say for the caliber of washburn??
i think we need to flip the switch to no on ueach and every judge for retention. take out all the 30 year old garbage-clean judicial house...
start new...
if we vote out all judges- think they will note that we people have had enough of their bs?
I vote no to all...
ty michael and claudine- for using your pain and your fight for jutice as example to others-your sories are tragic-- but not the abnorm- hundreds of victims daily are denied justice-!!!!
daily-
go home ks judges- we have had enough- and the perfomance committee- the only govt agency I know that is immune to the open records act.. whad ya hiding???
Sep. 1, 2008 at 6:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)WyldeFaerie (anonymous)
The tragic and nauseating outcome of SO many BAD judgements are devestating to so many! Claudine and Mike are beacons in our neverending nights. I pray that the judges that make such horrible decisions will be made to rectify them. So many children are sold out for the love of money!!
Sep. 1, 2008 at 10:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)parkay (anonymous)
The rubber-stamp report card on Kansas judges is a complete waste of time and money and stamp pad ink. Even notorious soft-on-predators Judge Franklin Theis of Shawnee County got a favorable rubber-stamp, in spite of his sentencing a sodomite to PROBATION for raping a young boy while making a video tape of his crime.
[Naturally, there were no survey questions on adherence to sentencing guidelines or adherence to duties to protect children from rape and violent abuses.]
Sep. 2, 2008 at 10:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)Claudine_Dombrowski (Claudine Dombrowski)
Naturally, but of course- there would not be [parkay] as we know all to well and our children even more, it is ok in Kansas to rape to abuse to allow our children to be victims for profit {the mental health people, and other FOC's) by treating the perp. not the victim from the crimes who were committed against.
There typically is no money to be made off the victims- our children- but boy howdy-- the $$$ fly when it comes to a perp- and our judges 'poor child rapist' attitude..
very nice to see the above- I told Liz that we the people are much smarter- and we are.. we have had enough---
I like free2dream's idea, I as well will vote NO on retention all judges.
Keep up the great thinking- be the change- We are the power...
Best:
www.KansansForJudicialAccountability.com...
"When you invite thinking, you invite revolution."
Sep. 2, 2008 at 11:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)beentheredt (anonymous)
It's HIGH TIME for some judicial accountability. As a former psychiatric nurse for children hospitalized in crisis after sexual abuse, I am also the wife of an honorable judge who is appalled by some of the dangerously lax sentencing of child predators. Media coverage is often the first step toward a fairer, safer judicial system, and our thanks to those with the courage to speak out.
That being said, SOME of these judicial rulings beg the question of just "What kinds of people would EVER treat the sexual exploitation of children as if it were 'almost legal'"?
Sentencing guidelines exist for good reason. Judicial accountability is a much needed step, but it also appears that a much more thorough background investigation of potential judges needs to be performed before allowing any of them to take the safety of America's children into their hands. Some of their outward behaviors suggest these judges themselves might be hiding dark, disturbing secrets of their own.
Sep. 2, 2008 at 1:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)parkay (anonymous)
The only reason Theis got as high as 51% of the vote the last time he was up for retention vote is that shysters that appeared before his bench donated heavily to his retention campaign, seeing a chance to further their careers by stepping on the backs of raped children.
