Judge ‘Dismayed’ at Gov’s Allegations; Demands Evidence

Yikes! When Gov. Brown questioned the objectivity of a court-appointed “special master” to oversee the treatment of mentally ill state inmates, he certainly got the attention of a federal judge who is effectively telling the governor to put up or shut up. U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Karlton ordered the state to consider withdrawing the complaint, which he actually called “a smear.”
 
It gets worse: The Associate Press reports that Judge Karlton wrote in response to a court filing that “… defendants’ [the state’s] attack consists of a raw assertion of unethical conduct, with no supporting evidence nor even any hint that defendants actually believe the attack they make,” Karlton wrote. He added later that “the court can only be dismayed by the cavalier manner in which defendants … level a smear against the character and reputation of the Special Master.” Later, the AP reports, the judge even said the complaint may violate a court rule that allows sanctions for court filings that are intended to harass or are without any evidence.

Here’s the AP story via a San Jose Mercury News edition.