from the no-pants-dance dept
For apparent explanations, we’ve coated a metric ton of Streisand Result tales listed here at Techdirt above the many years, but I actually did not think we’d get to a single about a judge not sporting pants. Yet, unfortunately, right here we are.
Satisfy Choose Jamie Jameson, of the 42nd Judicial Circuit courtroom in Kentucky. Jameson is presently suspended from his duties in excess of a series of misconduct allegations, much of which has been dutifully included by WKMS, Murray State’s NPR radio station. People misconduct allegations are not the issue of this submit, but they do build that Jameson allegedly has what some might simply call a really unfastened marriage with ethics and the law, if individuals allegations are legitimate.
But now there’s a person additional allegation: Jameson is accused of attempting tension WKMS to not operate a tale about how he sometimes fails to wear pants all over the courthouse.
In accordance to commission paperwork and an job interview with WKMS team, Jameson acquired a WKMS reporter experienced submitted a records ask for for online video footage he considered would show Jameson roaming the Marshall County Judicial Building partly dressed.
When Jameson acquired of the documents request, he named Chad Lampe, who was the station supervisor for WKMS at the time. In accordance to the Judicial Conduct Commission’s charging paperwork, Jameson pressured Lampe not to go after the story, expressing he experienced contacted bigger-ups at Murray Condition University, which retains the license for WKMS.
This would be wildly unethical on its deal with, obviously, but here’s exactly where items get definitely silly. The documents request experienced previously been denied by the Administrative Office environment, Lampe experienced presently made the decision not to appeal that choice, and had even determined not to operate the tale by the time Jameson had phoned him up to play strongman. He was pressuring a information organization over some thing that was already not heading to take place in any case, with the news firm determining that this was not some thing newsworthy.
Unlike, say, a judge pressuring a information organization to bury a story, which totally is newsworthy. And now that the Judicial Carry out Fee caught wind of all this and is now leveling extra allegations in opposition to Jameson, guess what is now all about the information?
The commission found Jameson’s actions violated numerous judicial codes of perform, like a responsibility to comply with the regulation and act in a method that promotes general public self-assurance in the integrity of the judiciary. The commission also located Jameson violated codes of carry out that prohibit a choose from abusing their power to advance particular interests.
And now the story about Jameson strolling all over the courthouse sans trousers is receiving broad coverage. Former to the try to bury the story, the complete issue appears to be like like it was by no means likely to see the light-weight of day.
And that is roughly as very clear-slash an occasion of the Streisand Impact in action as there could be.
Filed Beneath: chad lampe, flexibility of facts, jamie jameson, kentucky, pants, streisand influence, transparency
Companies: wkms
