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Respect for legal profession eroding, Griffen tells law students Tuesday, Feb 12, 2008 By Doug Thompson Arkansas News Bureau FAYETTEVILLE - The legal profession and the American legal system are not as respected as they used to be, in part because "at one time, we understood what torture meant," Arkansas Court of Appeals Judge Wendell Griffen said Monday. Speaking to law students at the University of Arkansas, Griffen said they should "stand for justice" even in times of great national distress. "Either our ideals of fairness and humane treatment change when we are threatened, or they are bigger than our situation," Griffen said. "How many times have you heard that the world changed on Sept. 11? "Our view of justice is being questioned today because we've had people in custody for years without charges," Griffen said, referring to Guantanamo Bay, where suspected terrorists are held. "Having worn the uniform of this country, I don't take second place to anybody in defending it," said the judge, a U.S. Army veteran. However, people need to understand that the country is about freedom, not absolute safety, he said. "When we lose that love for liberty, you become less free," he said. "If I don't respect my Muslim neighbor as much as my Church of Christ neighbor, my Buddhist neighbor and my atheist neighbor, I've drunk the Kool-Aid," he said. At another point in the speech, he said the promise of justice is still worth keeping, adding, "If we even act as if we don't believe in that promise, heaven help us." The outspoken judge, who has more than once escaped state sanctions for his public comments on controversial issues, is seeking re-election this year and has an announced opponent, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Rita Gruber. Non-partisan judicial elections are held on the same day as the May 20 party primaries for state and local offices. |
