Al Franken actually said...

These kids are missing school. They are going as far as committing suicide because of this, and they are literally being bullied to death.

I think it is just unrealistic to think that a judge's personal experience does not in some way... inform his or her judgment.

My opinion is that drug courts work and do save society money.

I think it would be defying common sense to think that a judge's life experience does not inform how he or she judges.