Jackson Jambalaya

Why are so many Weill signs in the public right-of-way?

Ok. Anyone who has ever worked with Bill Gowan can vouch for the fact that he is the laziest human being ever. When he was at the city prosecutor's office, his co-workers complained he never showed up so the then-city attorney moved him over to litigation where he could do even greater damage.

His opponent could use more signs then. All I see is Bill Gowan signs west of Jackson.

Don't take my word for it, ask anyone who has ever worked with Gowan. He's a complete and total loser.

On the other hand, from what I see in the papers, Harrison has been holding trial after trial after trial which, if you are a lawyer, you know is totally unprecedented in Hinds County.

Where can a girl find campaign disclosure forms for the M-R circuit judge race? That'll tell me more about the canidates than some website will.

http://www.sos.ms.gov/elections_campaign_finance_candidate_search.aspx

Found it, thanks. According to the SOS, Shirley hasn't gotten any money from anybody to date. But he's spending. Emfinger getting money from D's and R's alike, and poor Brasfield looks like he's only getting funded from folks in his firm.

Please, please, please, look into the candidates before you cast a vote in the Harrison/Gowan race. Gowan has gotten where he has only by sucking ass and lately that ass has been Malcolm McMillan's. Gowan is an example of the Peter Principle times one billion.

Believe me, we have enough terrible judges already.

On the Harrison-Gowan race: Harrison is completely lost as a circuit judge. Please pull up his interview on law call where he discusses the "degrees" of murder in Mississippi. The problem with that is that there are no degrees of murder in Mississippi. There are several other examples of his incompetence. He just does not know the law.

As on who to replace Yerger? Well Yerger also does not know the law (check out his reversal rates and he can thank Rebecca Mansell for those) so anyone will be an improvement. Weill doesnt have the experience to be the circuit judge as the guy has been a mediator for the last twenty years and was an ADA for like 5 seconds back in the early 80s. If you check out his website he talks about getting involved in civil cases and using his mediation training to help resolve them to make more time for the criminal cases. Problem with that Jeff is that it violates the code of judicial conduct. And once he mediates all these civil case and gets to the criminal cases, what will he do then? He certainly knows nothing about criminal law!

Bruce Burton is the black Shaun O'Hara, so lets not even discuss him. Shamsideen has experience in both the criminal arena (as municipal judge and defense lawyer), so I am going say he is most qualified.

In Rankin......well you have really no choice but to vote for Emgfinger.

Gowen doesn't know the law. He's one of those geezers who complains about the Court adopting the Rules of Procedure. He lost MANY cases for the City of Jackson that could have been won on summary judgment but he could not be bothered to do any work (not that he was capable of putting together a motion for summary judgment).

Gowan is going to do as little as possible for as long as possible and he is way too old to change. Please talk to people who've worked with him. They can tell you about his total lack of work ethic.

Great - anonymous comments on who should be elected in local races. How are we to know what candidate/spouse/friend/business associate is posting these comments attacking other candidates. Or if it is the same "anonymous" saying the same thing in slightly different words to the detriment of a candidate.

At least 1:31 gives specifics - the other person on here (one peron, many times) does nothing except attack Gowen.

I don't have a horse in the race between Gowen and Harrison, and don't vote in that part of Hinds County. But if I did, this set of comments would add little to my vault of knowledge of the candidates.

Jeff Weill will be a judge the Federalist Society would be proud of if the voters choose to elect him. He is a Movement Conservative and the Constitution will be his quide.

isnt gowan the one that released gunn early from jail and gunn went on a robbery spree?

No. was a plea deal. He turned state's evidence against the gunman.

Hmm. Before I say anything, please understand that I don't have a candidate in these races because I live in Madison, but next week Kingfish is going to start allowing comments on the Madison County race and I'll be on the record for my candidate.

You have to look at the attorney involvement in these comments from a couple of different perspectives. First, they know how the system works and are more engaged with these candidates than the rest of the voters so their opinions are probably better informed. However, the Anonymous posts could be coming from another candidate or an attorney who has a personal grudge against the candidate he or she is criticizing. I understand why an attorney might not want to put his name on a post that's critical of a sitting judge, but it's hard to take the comments seriously without someone being willing to own up to them. Lawyers, figure out a way to help us here...Bill Billingsley

Comment on the County Court races in this thread because this will be the only post about the concerning the polls.

One of the anonymous posts was pretty well-informed and I know who it is, or am pretty close to 100% sure I do and if it is her, she would know throw practicing in front of them.

For what it's worth, my name is Jane Tucker. I worked with Bill Gowan at the City Attorney's office some years ago. Everyone in that office who was assigned as 2d chair on his cases complained to Leslie Scott that we were placed in a really bad position because he refused to do any work on his cases and we would show up at trial and be totally humiliated. He would do NO discovery, designate no experts. NOTHING. I volunteered to write motions for summary judgment if he would just gather the facts for me. He refused to do even that much. When we complained, we were told he used to be the city prosecutor but people who worked with him complained he never showed up so Leslie Scott moved him to litigation so she could at least make sure he reported to work. Gowan constantly brought Leslie little gifts so that she would feel that she couldn't fire him. Meanwhile, I was in trial with him once and at lunch every day we had to go to his house so he could get his mail so his wife wouldn't find out how much money he owed.

Years later, I needed to get some info. about a drug dealer operating in a HUD house across the street from me. The people in the sheriff's office just laughed at me. They offered to let me talk to the sheriff's lawyer, Bill Gowan. I told them I didn't want to waste my time with that loser. Later that day, Malcolm McMillan called my boss at Phelps Dunbar and tried to have me fired because of what I said about Gowan. When I explained to my boss what was going on, he opined that McMillan ought to be more concerned about the drug dealer than about my opinion of his lawyer. All of this is true and I can cite cases and witnesses if you don't believe me.

The case I offered to do a motion
for summary judgment in was City of Jackson v. Brown )(729 So.2d 1231 (Miss. 1998)) in which some drunk dude fell into a swollen drainage ditch. I knew that was a bullshit case and the city didn't have a duty to keep drunks out of drainage ditches. Isaac Byrd got over a million dollar verdict. The City couldn't even prove that the deceased was drunk because Gowan didn't bother to designate experts. The case was reversed on appeal. If anyone but Gowan had had the case, it would have been thrown out well before then. Jane

In one of the first cases I got a glimpse of the Bill Gowan work ethic, I had just joined the office and had to 2d chair a case in which a motorcycle driver was injured when he ran into a cable across a road that had been placed there to keep the public out. City of Jckson v. Williamson, 740 So.2d 818 (Miss. 1999). The plaintiff claimed the cable was not properly marked. The City knew the plaintiff had major eye problems because of something his mother said. Gowan never bothered to subpoena the medical records to show the motorcyclist could barely see.
As 2d chair, we were just expected to provide assistance at trial. The person assigned the case was supposed to work it up. If Gown was responsible for the case, nothing was ever done on it and it was no secret in that office. Jane

For those without Westlaw, here's Brown:

http://www.mssc.state.ms.us/Images/Opinions/Conv6379.pdf

Williamson

http://www.mssc.state.ms.us/Images/Opinions/Conv6721.pdf

Here's a mention of where Gowan refused to supply the name of the expert witness in Brown and, thus, the jury didn't get to hear that the deceased had a bac of almost .3.

"There was conflicting evidence as to whether the decedent was intoxicated on the day of the incident. The body of Willie Brown had been in the water of Town Creek from May 1st until May 3rd, 1993. Mike Weaver, a toxicologist employed by the Mississippi Crime Lab, testified that he performed a blood alcohol test on a blood sample extracted from the decedent which contained .29% ethyl alcohol. Mike Weaver also testified that a human body can produce ethyl alcohol as a result of decomposition in the range of .05% to .08%. Therefore, there was a factual dispute as to the true blood alcohol level of the decedent. The court excluded any testimony that Weaver would make as to what effect a .29% blood alcohol level would have on the decedent's motor functions and/or ability to make rational decision. This exclusion was due to the City's failure to designate Weaver as an expert in response to interrogatories propounded by Brown. In addition, the City withdrew the offer of Weaver as an expert and the court allowed him to testify as a fact witness on the blood alcohol test only."

I agree with Bill - and the anonymous comment about anonymous comments. And am glad to see that it may have had at least a little effect. I can take "Jane's" comments with a little more validity than I could the earlier posts with her backing up her opinion with at least her basis (good, bad - correct or incorrect) for her thoughts.

I say this without disparaging her comments - but complimenting her because she not only makes her complaint but gives her reasons for doing so. And puts her name to the comments. Without this, all the other comments lack validity in my opinion because they could be from opponent's camps, defendents who lost and carry a grudge, or anybody who's credibility is questionable.

Don't mind anonymous comments in general and keep them in perspective, but when attacking political candidates with vicious but unsupported comments, find them out of place.

My opinion - for what it's worth. Pete Perry

I used my real name. I've practiced law for some 23 years. Everything I said was the complete truth. Bill Gowan has been making a living off of the public dime for a long time now and the public has not been getting their money's worth.

Personally, Gowan comes off as a nice guy but I just see this as a strategy to keep people from complaining about his complete lack of work ethic.

I say all of this knowing that McMillan is likely to exact revenge as he tried to do so before.

Jane Tucker

McMillan is ultimately responsible for the botched handling of the Irby case. I think everyone is painfully aware of how inept he is as an administrator. I don't see how he could get re-elected again given all the incompetence manifested by the JPD when he was chief and that accident happened. I wouldn't worry so much about his vindictiveness now as compared to before the truth became obvious.

Mac hassles me this time, everyone will know why. The proof is right here. The fact that Mac hired Gowan despite the fact he does no work says as much about Mac as it does about Gowan.

I don't have a damn thing to gain from sharing this information and a lot to lose but I am sick and tired of lousy judges. Believe me, most lawyers are sick and tired of crappy judges but it should be obvious to everyone why it's not politic to come out and criticize a sitting judge. Economically, these are very bad times for lawyers. Like I said, I have absolutely nothing to gain here. Jane

Good work, Jane, and I applaud you for edging out on that limb. Hopefully you won't be punished for stating your thoughts, and it certainly sounds like there are plenty of reasons not to vote for Gowan. We have to all be willing to stand up and be counted like Jane has, and tough toenails if the public officials on the other side of our arguments don't like it. They can comment here as easily as we can, and I'm sure they're aware of this blog.

Kingfish, are you saying that you're not going to have an opportunity to comment separately on the Madison County judicial race? Bill Billingsley

If Jane says it is so, I'm with her because she is dead solid perfect.

I don't care Pete is you give a shit at all whether my comment is anonymous or not. My comment is so because it needs to be so and Kingfish is the ONLY outlet in MS who gives us this kind of forum.

Finally if the GOP darling Jeff Weill, with little job experience, can't keep his campaign signs out of the public right-of-way then how does he expect to be respected as a judge?

BTW Geiger, you are an idiot.

Jeff Weill will be a Conservative Judge who will follow the Law as we are a Nation of Laws. Jeff Weill is a good man and if we get the vote out will make a fine Judge. Name call all you like, that just increases our resolve to work harder to get the vote out. By the way,I agree that ALL the candidates should keep their signs off of the public right-away. That applies to all. I will stick to the issues and getting Conservatives elected.

Weill isn't following the law now regarding campaign signage. The fact that other candidates are also not following the law isn't an excuse that gives Weill a pass.

prove it or else I zap every one of your posts.

To the "Anonymous" that keeps stating that Jeff Weill's signs are in right away...state specifically where these signs are located or get off the pot!

HARRISON DOES A GOOD JOB!