NEWS
From the Office of
110th District
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 16, 2014
CONTACT: Speaker Timothy W. Jones
Speaker Tim Jones Issues Statement on
Senate Confirmation of Judge Ronnie White
“This is disturbing and an outrage. Judge White was previously rejected 15 years ago for good reason: his record of being weak on crime. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri handles many criminal cases, and we cannot afford to have a judge with a weak record appointed to this vital position.”
(EUREKA, MO) – Speaker Tim Jones has issued the following statement on today’s U.S. Senate confirmation of Judge Ronnie White to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
“This is disturbing and an outrage. Judge White was previously rejected 15 years ago for good reason: his record of being weak on crime. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri handles many criminal cases, and we cannot afford to have a judge with a weak record appointed to this vital position. Unfortunately, this is not a surprising move for the Obama administration, which seems more concerned with rewarding Democrat allies than in appointing people who will do the job well,” said Speaker Jones.
“And I make this statement based upon personal experience. Judge White wrote the lone dissent in the appeal of a death sentence for a man who was convicted of killing a sheriff, two deputies, and the wife of a sheriff – a relative of mine – as well as injuring others during a shooting rampage. The case against this criminal was airtight, but Judge White thought he should be awarded a new trial because of outlandish claims made by his lawyers during the trial. Overall, he voted to overturn or grant a new trial in more than 30% of the death penalty cases he heard on the Supreme Court. This is not the kind of record we need on the court for the Eastern District of Missouri.”
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