Gee, That's Mighty White of Him!

AP -- Madison County judge, arrested for DUI to recuse himself from DUI cases

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- Madison County Circuit Court Judge James P. Smith plans to recuse himself from DUI cases following his arrest for driving under the influence in Tennessee.

Smith's attorney, Phillip Price, said Smith isn't required to step down from those cases, but he chose to do so indefinitely.

"He doesn't want it to appear like he's being unfair to anyone who's appearing before him," Price told The Huntsville Times in a story Tuesday.

Smith, 57, a former legislator who lives in Madison, was pulled over at 11:45 p.m. on Feb. 28 while driving north on Interstate 75 in McMinn County, northeast of Chattanooga, according to highway patrol records. A trooper reported that Smith's 1999 Jeep Cherokee crossed the center dividing line and was swerving.

He told officers he had taken two prescription medications, the painkiller hydrocodone and Soma, a potent muscle relaxer, the Times said. He told WHNT-TV Channel 19 he was taking the drugs for a stomach condition.

Price said Smith's first court appearance has been scheduled for April 25.

Presiding Circuit Court Judge Billy Bell said any immediate disciplinary action against Smith would come from the Administrative Office of Courts. Keith Camp, a spokesman for that office in Montgomery, said Tuesday there would be no action or comment because the case against Smith is pending.

"He doesn't want it to appear like he's being unfair to anyone who's appearing before him," Price told The Huntsville Times in a story Tuesday.

Now, if we could only get every judge who ever smoked a joint or did any other drug to step aside in drug cases we could damn near clear the bench from Huntsville to Mobile. The hypocrisy pisses me off more than anything, you know?

This article mentions pharmaceutical drugs. I know some folks who like the particluar combo mentioned in this article for purposes other than medical. I wonder if he had a legal prescription? Was he made to produce it for the police? Wonder if he enjoyed that experience? The article doesn't mention whether or not he was subjected to a breath test and what the results might have been.

It'll be interesting to see how this turns out. I wonder if he will have his license revoked? Is he eligible for drug court? Will he be enriched by the experience of pissing in a cup for 'the man'?

I wait with baited breath......




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