OP ED

It’s about egos…too many egos. First, Richard Baumgartner repeatedly broke the law, not only believing he wouldn’t get caught, but also felt he was above the law! Shame on him. Now the dirt on Special Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood is coming out. He too appears to think as a judge, he is above the law and the morals and ethics his office carries. I have serious doubts of his concern that Channon Christian and Chris Newsom and their families receive justice.

The State Supreme Court directed Blackwood to articulate sound legal reasoning for his decision to grant new trials. Quite frankly, he didn’t. In fact, he had already made up his mind to proceed, not based on any sound legal argument, but based on his personal opinion and emotion! Pretty much, he is saying, I’m ordering a retrial without having to prove squat.

All the recent brouhaha about granting the defendants new trials has shed light on to what lengths Blackwood will go. In his wisdom, or lack thereof, Blackwood has decided the public and media shouldn’t have access to information or proceedings in the case.

The following passages can be found in Jamie Satterfield’s Knox News article, Emails show special judge sought to block public scrutiny in Christian/Newsom case

“…Blackwood removed motions from a court file, ordered prosecutors to make no public mention of them, used email communication in lieu of orders and hearings and favored meetings in chambers over public hearings — all to avoid public scrutiny of his handling of the Christian-Newsom torture-slaying cases, documents show.”

Assistant District Attorney General Leland Price and Assistant District Attorney General TaKisha Fitzgerald filed two motions in which they argued new trials were not warranted given the state Supreme Court’s ruling.

“In an email sent May 29, Blackwood wrote that he was removing those motions from the public file.

“No public reference should be made to them,” he wrote.

Sure, just keep the bits and pieces you like and toss everything else!

Instead of hearings and written orders, Blackwood decided to communicate by email.

“Unless the media hacks our emails, this precludes discussion from the public and any accompanying outcry from the legal scholars in this community known as ‘bloggers,’ ” Blackwood wrote.

The legal scholars in the community are known as bloggers, huh?

“I’ve grown weary over the last several months with the number of legal experts that are associated with the mass media here in Knox County.” He also stated in the email that he wanted to discuss the possibility that, in other cases potentially impacted by the TBI probe of Baumgartner, “live witnesses” might be called.

“I certainly would prefer to do so in chambers outside the peering eyes of the media,” he wrote.

Why? What do you have to be afraid of and hide?

IT’S TIME FOR BLACKWOOD TO GO!!!

It has just been reported an order HAS been filed ordering new trials for the defendants. No word on the recusal motion.

KnoxNews