Political Quotes

“Federal judges decide cases every day that have a significant real world impact on our criminal justice system--sometimes good, sometimes bad. Let me point out this case. It gives an insight into the kinds of things I saw every day as a prosecutor, and it is happening every day right now in courts all over America. Here is the case before United States District Judge Royce C. Lamberth. He denied a request by the prosecutor for early release of two top associates of Rayful Edmond III, a notorious drug kingpin in Washington, DC. I think they made a movie about him or a film about him, one of the most notorious gang leaders around. The Washington Post described Judge Lamberth's astonishment when the U.S. Attorney did not object to the drug felon's request for early release. Quote: The judge rebuked the Office of acting United States attorney Vincent H. Cohen Jr., of the District, saying prosecutors did not give due weight to the criminal history of Butler, 52, the Los Angeles-based cocaine broker and partner of D.C. drug lord Rayful Edmond III, and Jones, 58, one of four top armed enforcers of Edmond's violent trafficking network. The group imported as much as 1,700 pounds of Colombian cocaine a month. That is almost a ton a month. That is the largest amount I have ever seen. I thought the biggest case I had ever seen was 600 pounds flown in on about 20 plane loads over several months. This is 1,700 pounds a month.…”