What doth the Lord require of thee, asked the prophet, and then answered: Only to do justice, love mercy, and work humbly with thy God--and here's your chance to do all those, fellow sinners.
Take a lesson, too, from James Ussery, 25, who had ignored a court order to do community service as part of his sentence. Why? "Lazy," he said, wasting not a word. "Didn't want to do it." But a warrant for his arrest got his immediate attention. Particularly because it came with word of an amnesty program he could apply for.
Just as books start being turned in when a library announces an amnesty program for those who've put off bringing them back, so did realization dawn on Mr. Ussery. Especially because he was looking for a job. And he didn't need a warrant for his arrest hanging over his head.
Like other folks who showed up at Little Rock's district courthouse between 8 and 8:30 one morning with no fear of arrest for shirking their sentence, Mr. Ussery was soon standing before His Honor Hugh Finkelstein without fear that he'd be arrested and carted off to the hoosegow. Those who qualify for the court's amnesty program, says the judge, won't be slapped with still more fines, court costs and other penalties that can reduce them to indentured service for life, the way payday loans trap folks who swallow the lure of quick cash and get hooked. The quality of mercy is not strained, as Shakespeare put it, but falls on all alike, thank God.
Setting her own good example for Judge Finkelstein, the jurist who held his place on the bench before him--Her Honor Alice Lightle--took a similar merciful approach. Judge Finkelstein just decided to lengthen the period of grace, making it a whole month and denying defendants any excuse for not showing up.
And still there are almost 4,000 active warrants out there issued just by his court. Our society has no shortage of scofflaws; it's those who don't take this chance to straighten up and fly right who jam the court docket. It's only when a warrant is issued for their arrest or turns up during a routine traffic stop that the miscreant may change his ways. This amnesty program gives him a pain-free chance to do just that.
At a time when the public's perception of justice in the courts has grown skeptical, let's remember the many judges who honor their calling and serve as a standing rebuke to all those who claim the system is rigged against the honest citizen who just seeks to do his duty--or to redeem himself when he messes up.
Give us a happy ending every time. Leaving the courtroom, one Leroy Langley thanked the judge and handed over the $60 he had with him to the court. Which is a bargain price for getting a new start with the law and life.
Editorial on 02/23/2018