'Thumb on the Scales' 

Editor:

It seems Humboldt County District Attorney Stacey Eads has sent a clear message to all of our superior court judges: Rule favorably for my prosecutors or you, too, could be given a blanket disqualification. And be taken off of all criminal cases to boot. ("Court Challenge," March 14.)

While this may be a novel action to be taken in Humboldt County, Eads didn't just create this out of whole cloth. In fact, DAs across California and the country have taken such action against judges they deem as not ruling in their favor often enough.

Surely it can be argued if a DA (or defense attorneys) should even have this authority to take such actions, as it clearly flies in the face of the concept of an independent judiciary. But they clearly do have that power, as was demonstrated last November, when such an action was taken against Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Kelly Neel, who by all accounts has always been considered a fair and ethical judge and, before that, as a prosecutor and a public defender.

But just being fair to both sides is apparently not satisfactory enough for Eads. It seems the DA has been putting her thumb on the scales of justice and demanding that her side be given preferential treatment ... or else!

Richard Salzman, Arcata