Bob Evans| Special to the Rockford Register Star

What follows is no defense of Donald Trump. What follows is an argument that Amendment 25 is not the proper vehicle for removing him. Impeachment, however difficult, is.

Amendment 25 contains four sections, each applying to a different situation. Some sections envision a permanent replacement of the president; some envision a temporary replacement. Section 4, the one at issue here, focuses on a temporary physical incapacity, after which the president would resume duties. That, of course, is not the application of section 4 that people have in mind. It would be at least ironic to distort a Constitutional provision to punish someone for distorting the Constitution.

Permanent replacement of a president is treated in other sections of the amendment. Section 4 applies when the president is temporarily incapacitated. President Eisenhower, who had suffered two medical emergencies, urged at an early date the Justice Department to draft the outlines of an amendment to apply to temporary incapacity for physical reasons. This effort found its way into section 4.

Section 4 authorizes the vice president and a majority of the cabinet to transmit to congressional leaders a declaration of incapacity. It also authorizes the president to issue a letter declaring his capacity to perform, forcing Congress to decide between the two claims. The process requires yet another exchange of letters between the vice president and cabinet and the Congress. After these exchanges Congress debates, and would have to vote by a two-thirdmajority to reject the claim by the president. Is this really the spectacle we want to witness at this point?

There is at least one other serious objection to the use of section 4 for present purposes. The first objection, stated above, is that it is intended for a temporary incapacity. The second objection emerges from the intent conveyed by the words of second 4. It is that it is intended for physical or medical incapacity. Those sources of incapacity can be verified, which is a requirement for such an act of profound importance.

To remove the president for violating the Constitution is not envisioned by this amendment. To try to removethe president because of his temperament would be the very definition of a slippery slope. Trump would marshaltestimony from psychiatrists, as would the cabinet. Congress would have to adjudicate a psychiatric dispute. It may have been an oversight, but Amendment 25 did not produce a solution to the problem we now face. There is a remedy. It is impeachment.

Donald Trump has distorted and disregarded provisions of the Constitution. Should not those who want to remove him for disobeying the Constitution in turn obey the Constitution themselves? A wise teacher used to remind us in our classes that "under our Constitution it is not sufficient to do the right thing. We must do the right thing in the right way."

Bob Evans is an associate professor ofof economics, business, and political science at Rockford University

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25th Amendment improper way to remove President Trump - Rockford Register Star

Lands Cabinet Secretary (CS) Farida Karoney addresses a press conference during the launch of issuance of title deeds in Nairobi, on September 18, 2020. [File]

The Ministry of Lands has started the transition to a new lands registration system which will see title deeds issued before the enactment of the Land Registration Act in 2012 cancelled and new ones issued.

Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney said yesterday that land registration had become a complex process which is prone to abuse due to different pieces of legislation.

She announced that the ministry has started the conversion of land parcels that were registered using now-repealed laws.

The Land Registration Act was enacted in 2012 effectively repealing all other land registration statutes such as the Indian Transfer of Property Act, 1882, the Government Lands Act (Cap. 280), the Registration of Titles Act (Cap. 281), the Land Titles Act (Cap. 282) and the Registered Land Act (Cap. 300).

Ms Karoney said that the object of the conversion is to collapse land registration process in the repealed laws into one.

Centralisation of services

As a result, all titles issued under the repealed laws will be cancelled and replaced with titles under the Land Registration Act, 2012.

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The confusion occasioned by the different regimes has become a breeding ground for fraud, delays in service delivery, centralisation of land services and threats to the right to property, she said.

To harmonise the process, the Lands Ministry will close all land registers and begin issuing new titles based on a new register. Some of the changes anticipated are in the parcel numbers, which Karoney told the public to be on the look out for.

Registered landowners will need to apply for replacement of title documents from the closed registers.

Ardhi House said the applicants will be required to present the original title and the owners identification documents.

The old title deeds will be surrendered to the registrar when new ones are issued.

Karoney said the cancellation and replacement of the titles will migrate the parcels to the new regime while retaining the ownership, size and the other interests registered against the respective title.

Titles held by third parties such as those used to secure bank loans or surrendered to hospitals and courts will be replaced upon application by the proprietor.

As the shift commences, the traditional deed plans will no longer be in use, instead, the Ministry will rely on the Registry Index Maps (RIMs) as registration instruments.

Karoney assured that the boundaries will not be affected since RIMs are generated from survey plans with fixed boundaries.

Both the RIMs and the survey plans will be accessible to landowners on request for verification of boundary details at the Survey of Kenya Headquarters, Ruaraka, she said.

Minimise land fraud

The Ministry said the use of RIMs will further minimise land fraud by making it easy to detect changes or alterations.

The RIM displays all land parcels within an area as opposed to a deed plan that captures data on one specific parcel, she said.

A conveyancing expert, S K Muturi explained that there was a need for landowners to panic explaining that the government was not cancelling titles but changing numbers to make digitisation possible.

A title deed is prima facia evidence that the land belongs to you, but is a sum total of a lot of history including survey and amalgamation. This history will not change even when the numbers are changed. You will remain the owner of your land, Mr Muturi explained.

Read the rest here:
Lands Ministry to issue new titles in digital migration - The Standard

8 January 2021

Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi don tell Vice President Mike Pence to immediately invoke di 25th Amendment to remove President Trump afta di violence wey happun for capitol Hill on Wednesday.

Madam Pelosi say she and di Senate Minority (soon to be Majority) Leader, Chuck Schumer don call oga Pence and dem dey wait for e reply.

Wia dis foto come from, TW

Before now, three US Democrats lawmakers bin circulate Articles of Impeachment against President Donald Trump afta di violence wey happun for Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

Democratic Reps. David Cicilline, Jamie Raskin and Ted Lieu share di Articles of Impeachment for dia twitter handle and call on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke di 25th Amendment to remove Donald Trump from office.

Wia dis foto come from, TW

Wia dis foto come from, TW

Di four-page Articles of Impeachment wey dem circulate charge oga Trump with abuse of power for "willfully inciting violence against di goment."

Also several politicians, oda lawmakers don begin call on di Vice President to invoke di 25th amendment to remove Trump from office.

Wetin be di "25th Amendment"?

Chart flow of 25th Amendment

Professor of law, Brian Kalt share flow chart of di 25th amendment wey im carry from im book so dat America pipo go beta understanding of di law.

Wia dis foto come from, Twitter/@ProfBrainKalt

Flow chart of di 25th Amendment from Professor Brain Kalt

25th Amendment fit comot Trump from Office before January 20th afta Capitol Hill Violence?

Plenti experts for law and politics mata don tok say e dey possible to invoke di 25th before Inauguration Day wey be January 20th.

One Professor of law for Michigan State University, Brian C. Kalt say di VP and Cabinet fit invoke 25th Amendment (4) if things get out of hand.

Prof Kalt go further to explain say if dem invoke 25th Amendment and give power to di VP, then later di president declare "no inability exists," e no fit retake power back immediately, di VP go still remain as acting president during di four-days waiting period according to di law.

Wia dis foto come from, TW

Base on di 25th Amendment, afta di waiting period, if di deciding group (VP and cabinet) no agree say di president dey 'fit' to carry out im duties, di decision go then dey for Congress hand.

At dis point, Congress get 21 days to decide who go exercise presidential powers, di president or di vice president.

As e be say na only 12 days remain for President Trump to leave office, Congress fit no need to do anything sake of di 21 days grace wey di law give dem. Di vice president fit continue to serve as acting president through Jan. 20, wey dem go swear in Biden.

Sources: Brian C. Kalt and David Pozen; Di Twenty-Fifth Amendment published by di National Constitution Center.

Read more from the original source:
Wetin to know about di 25th amendment and if e fit remove Trump from office afta Capitol Hill violence - BBC News

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inboxhere.

A curated guide to major national security news and developments over the past 24 hours. Heres todays news.

ATTACK ON THE CAPITOL

As lawmakers hid from rioters, trapped inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, they could not get through to President Donald Trump, who was was too busy watching fiery TV images of the crisis unfolding around them to act or even bother to hear their pleas, report Ashley Parker, Josh Dawsey, and Philip Rucker for the Washington Post.

Karl Racine, the District of Columbias attorney general, said he is investigating whether he can charge anyone with incitement to violence after last weeks attack on the Capitol. Clearly the crowd was hyped up, juiced up, focused on the Capitol and rather than calm then down or at least emphasize the peaceful nature of what protests need to be, they really did encourage these folks and riled them up, Racine told MSNBCs Andrea Mitchell. Dan Mangan reports for CNBC.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf resigned Monday. Mr. Wolf told employees of the Homeland Security Department he would be stepping down on Monday night in part because of court rulings that invalidated some of the Trump administrations immigration policies, citing the likelihood that Mr. Wolf was unlawfully appointed to lead the agency, Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports for the New York Times.

Peter Gaynor, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is replacing Wolf as the acting DHS secretary and is now tasked with helping secure President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration on Jan. 20. Wolf will remain with the department as an under secretary for policy, a position for which he was confirmed by the Senate, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Helene Cooper report for the New York Times.

House Democrats received a disturbing briefing Tuesday night about other potential violent demonstrations being planned. On a private call Monday night, new leaders of the Capitol Police told House Democrats they were closely monitoring three separate plans that could pose serious threats to members of Congress as Washington prepares for Democrat Joe Bidens presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, Matt Fuller reports for the Huffington Post.

Congressman Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a former Army Ranger, has asked Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy for the militarys criminal investigation units to review troops participating in the inauguration to ensure they are not sympathetic to domestic terrorists. Ryan Pickrell reports for Business Insider.

Several U.S. Capitol Police officers have been suspended and many others are under investigation, for suspected involvement with or inappropriate support for the demonstration last week that turned into a deadly riot at the Capitol, report Aaron C. Davis, Rebecca Tan, and Beth Reinhard for the Washington Post.

Twitter says it has suspended more than 70,000 accounts associated with the QAnon conspiracy theory following last weeks U.S. Capitol riot. The AP reports.

As Congress investigates the events of Jan. 6, it should establish a commission to investigate the security failures and make recommendations to prevent them from happening again, Kyle Murphy writes for Just Security, offering his suggestions for questions that should guide such an investigation.

Companies Try to Distance Themselves from Trump and his supporters on the Hill

Deutsche Bank, the presidents largest lender, and Signature Bank, are looking to distance themselves from Trump and his business. Signature Bank plans to close his accounts and issued a statement calling on the president to resign. Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank, which has been Mr. Trumps primary lender for two decades, has decided not to do business with Mr. Trump or his company in the future, according to a person familiar with the banks thinking, Eric Lipton, Ben Protess and Steve Eder report for the New York Times.

Defense company Northrop Grumman has paused its political donations to members of Congress, the first defense company to do so, reports Defense News.

IMPEACHMENT

House Democrats introduced an article of impeachment against Trump on Monday.

You can read the Article of Impeachment here.

Before moving to impeachment, House Democrats are calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment. House Democrats are expected to begin debate on the impeachment resolution on Wednesday morning, marching toward a vote late in the day unless Mr. Pence intervenes beforehand, Nicholas Fandos reports for the New York Times.

Here is a detailed timeline from Just Securitys Ryan Goodman, Mari Dugas and Nicholas Tonckens of President Trumps statements and actions relevant to the case that he incited the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

CORONAVIRUS

Two Democratic congresswomen have tested positive for COVID after sheltering with their Republican colleagues who refused to wear masks on Wednesday during the attack on the Capitol. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) are both quarantining. The attending physician to Congress, warned over the weekend that lawmakers may have been exposed to the virus while taking cover from the rioters, reports Teo Armus for the Washington Post.

The CDC is expected to encourage states to widen access to Covid-19 vaccines even further. Health officials on Tuesday will push states to expand the shots availability to anyone older than 65, regardless of underlying conditions that might put them at greater risk of severe disease, and anyone 16 and older with such a condition, according to two U.S. officials who asked not to be named because the information isnt public, Jennifer Jacobs reports for Bloomberg.

A map and analysis of all confirmed cases of the virus in the United States is available at the New York Times.

US and worldwide maps tracking the spread of the pandemic are available at the Washington Post.

A state-by-state guide to lockdown measures and reopenings is provided by the New York Times.

Latest updates on the pandemic at The Guardian.

STATE DEPARTMENT

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to give a speech on Tuesday in which he presents newly declassified information linking al-Qaeda to Iran. It was not immediately clear how much Pompeo intends to reveal in his speech to the National Press Club in Washington on Tuesday, report Humeyra Pamuk and Matt Spetalnick for Reuters.

The State Department designated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism on Monday in a last-minute foreign policy stroke that will complicate the incoming Biden administrations plans to restore friendlier relations with Havana, report Michael Crowley, Ed Augustin and Kirk Semple for the New York Times.

Congressional staffers were furious with the State Department on Monday after it announced an 11th-hour move to designate the Houthi rebels in Yemen as terrorists, putting in jeopardy desperately needed humanitarian assistance to the country. Jack Detsch and Robbie Gramer report for Foreign Policy.

A Voice of America reporter has been reassigned after she tried to ask Pompeo questions on Monday. Patsy Widakuswara, who covers the White House for VOA, was ordered off the beat by Director Robert Reilly after firing questions at Pompeo after his speech and a brief Q&A session conducted by Reilly, reports Paul Farhi for the Washington Post.

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

The Treasury Department issued new sanctions on seven Ukrainians accused of interfering in the U.S. election. The U.S. Treasury Department described the targeted sanctions as the inner circle of Ukrainian lawmaker Andrii Derkach, who was sanctioned last year. Derkach has previously worked with Rudy Giuliani to dig up damaging information on President Donald Trumps Democratic opponent, President-elect Joe Biden, and his son Hunter, reports Amanda Macias for CNBC.

The FDA cycled through three different top lawyers on Monday. The unusual sequence began with Trump appointee Stacy Cline Amin abruptly stepping down as chief counsel and the FDA announcing that career civil servant Mark Raza would be her acting replacement. Then, HHS on Monday night announced that Trump political appointee James Lawrence would instead serve as chief counsel a move that unnerved health officials as the Trump administration heads into its final week, Dan Diamond reports for POLITICO.

Bidens selections for his Cabinet are finalized. If confirmed, his Cabinet will be more diverse than not only Trumps Cabinet, but also Obamas, the Washington Post reports. You can see all of his nominations here.

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Early Edition: January 12, 2021 - Just Security

A WELL-used Uppermill bridleway bridge which had to be removed on safety grounds by Oldham Council is to be replaced.

In May last year, the wooden bridge over Church Road, Uppermill - part of the Pennine Bridleway was closed immediately after defects were spotted in the structure.

Since then council officers have been working to secure funding to replace the bridge.

The authority has now been informed Natural England and the Pennine National Trails Partnership have granted 32,500 towards a replacement. The council will pay the remaining 37,500 out of its budget.

The new bridge will have steel beams which will be faced in timber and all other elements of the bridge will be timber. The bridge will look similar to its sister bridge at Station Road, Uppermill.

Once the bridge has been manufactured, the authority is intending for it will be put in place in Spring 2021 and the route will then be re-opened to all users

Cllr Barbara Brownridge, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and culture, said: Theres not a lot of good news about at the minute but were sure this replacement will go down well with local residents and all those who use the bridleway.

Due to the current situation funds are tight but our officers have worked really hard to find money to replace the bridge as we know its a popular route for walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders. Wed also like to thank Natural England and the Pennine National Trails Partnership for their contribution.

We appreciate removing the bridge caused issues, but we had to do it for safety reasons and to protect the public.

Until the work is complete, people can carry on using the temporary bridleway diversion that is in place.

Preparatory work at the site has already started, including the clearing of vegetation, improvements to the pathway and removal of the remnants of the old timber footbridge.

Original post:
Well-used Uppermill bridge set to be replaced - theoldhamtimes.co.uk

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Finance and Administration Cabinet have launched an initiative to replace thousands of roadway lighting fixtures across the state with energy saving LED lights. The upgrades will reduce energy consumption of roadway lighting systems by more than fifty percent and save more than $2.8 million a year in reduced utility and maintenance costs.

Modernizing our roadway lights with more efficient and longer lasting LEDs is a win-win strategy to stretch taxpayer dollars, improve roadway visibility and reduce the number of maintenance-related lane closures, said KYTC Secretary Jim Gray.

This joint project further supports the Finance Cabinets ongoing efforts to capture energy efficiencies in state-owned and operated facilities and equipment, while also reducing the frequency of ongoing upkeep and replacement of highway lighting, said Finance Cabinet Secretary Holly M. Johnson.

More than 18,000 high-mast and cobra head lighting fixtures will be replaced with energy efficient LED lights on select state-maintained roads across Kentucky. The improvements include underground lighting replacements in the Cochrane Tunnel in Jefferson County and the Cumberland Gap Tunnel in Bell County.

Approximately 1,500 lighting fixtures at state-owned maintenance garages and parking lots will also be replaced as part of the project. More than 1,000 fixtures have been installed statewide to date.

The project will also include the replacement of roadside controller boxes and cabinets and the relocation of crash-prone poles.

KYTC and the Finance and Administration Cabinet have contracted with CMTA Energy Solutions to complete the project. Work began in November and is expected to be complete by early 2022.

View original post here:
Transportation, Finance cabinets to replace roadway lighting fixtures with energy saving LED bulbs - User-generated content

Their removal has been advised by the Environment Agency (EA) to protect existing flood barriers and prevent future damage to those set to be installed as part of a 49m project which is currently in the final stages of development.

A report presented to a recent meeting of Preston City Councils cabinet described almost all of the trees to be felled mostly along Broadgate, with a small number on Riverside as low value and poor quality. Many of the individual specimens are also known to be suffering from the fungal disease ash dieback.

However, ten of the affected trees are mature sycamores, standing in the Broadgate Gardens area, close to the junction with Fishergate Hill and Liverpool Road. Members were told that these were of higher quality and on the landward side of the current defences, but still required removal.

The EA has committed to planting five new trees for each one taken down as a result of work on its Preston and South Ribble Flood Risk Management Scheme, which is designed to better protect 4,800 homes and 350 businesses. The replacements will be a mixture of saplings and more mature examples.

Preston City Council owns the land where the soon-to-be-felled trees are located, meaning it is responsible for the maintenance of vegetation on the river bank. It is believed that much of it sprang up as a result of self-seeding, rather than planned planting but it has grown significantly in recent years.

The authoritys cabinet agreed to contribute 20,000 towards the estimated 100,000 cost of the removals, the rest of which will be funded by the EA. The agency will also oversee the specialist work, much of which will have to be carried out from the river itself, using specialist equipment and contractors.

The process will have to be completed before 1st March to ensure that it does not coincide with the bird nesting season and also to fit in with the timeframe for development of the wider flood defence scheme.

Deputy city council leader Peter Moss whose City Centre ward encompasses much of the Broadgate area said the project was vitally important.

Flooding can cause devastation for both households and businesses andthat area is now quite vulnerable, because of climate change and rising water levels.

The loss of trees is sad, but the increase in the number of trees [overall] which will be able to be planned for will hopefully, in the longer term, provide a lot of benefits for residents in the area, Cllr Moss said.

As part of its tree replacement pledge, the EA is seeking areas of land close to the Ribble where planting can take place. The organisation has also proposed to re-landscape Broadgate Gardens, which is likely to incorporate new trees as part of any redesign.

The EA also intends to work with South Ribble Borough Council, which has made its own commitment to plant 110,000 trees in the coming years, on the creation of a wetland habitat in the Ribble Sidings area.

Ground investigation work for the flood defence scheme took place earlier this year and planning permission for the final design will now be required before work can begin in 2021.

The latest stages of more than three years of public consultation which has included the issue of tree removal have been driven online by the pandemic.

A newsletter issued by the EA in October addresses the problems posed by the self-seeding trees on the river bank.

Removal of these will allow access for construction and ensure new defences are not damaged by tree root growth.

Self-seeded trees are trees that havent been planted or planned, these trees can be as a result of seeds arriving by birds, the river and the wind. They can cause damage to flood barriers, footpaths and walls due to lack of maintenance, the document notes.

More than 6.5m of funding for the overall scheme is coming from the European Regional Development Fund.

Pam Wilson lives directly opposite the Ribble on Broadgate and says she was expecting that the trees on the river side of the wall would probably be lost.

Its a real shame, but Im glad they are doing the defences - and you cant make an omelette without breaking eggs, as they say.

But 10 mature trees is a lot [to lose]. The irony is that trees take up water and hold the bank together, but not enough, I guess, Pam added.

Greg Smith, a resident of South End - a road just off Broadgate - says locals appear content with the replacement planting plans.

"From the people I have spoken to, I haven't picked up on any great issue with the trees. Some residents recall flooding in this area back in the 1970s and so they are glad of the extra protection.

"It will be sad to lose the more mature trees on this side of the wall, but as long as there are more planted than removed, I don't think it's a major concern."

The Preston and South Ribble Flood Risk Management Scheme will replace or add more than five miles of defences over a three-year period. Some of the new barriers will contain glass panels to maintain views across the Ribble.

The planned defences will be higher than the existing protective measures in the area some of which date as far back as the 1920s, others to the 1980s which are deemed to have come to the end of their useful life.

This is what the EA is proposing:

Broadgate replacement of existing concrete wall between Liverpool Road bridge and Penwortham Old Bridge, with a new one whose maximum height will be 1.6m compared to the current 1.23m.

Riverside a new concrete wall along the boundary of the BAC/EE Preston Social and Sports Association cricket pitch between Miller Gardens apartments and the two flood gates at Ribble Cottage.

- replacement of existing concrete wall between Penwortham Old Bridge and Miller Gardens apartments with a new one whose maximum height will be 2.24m compared to the current 1.08m. Includes glass panels on top.

- replacement of existing concrete wall running on the riverside of the road in front of The Continental restaurant with a new one whose maximum height will be 2.53m compared to the current 1.09m. Includes glass panels on top.

Miller Park a new concrete retaining wall along a ramped section of the main cycleway and earth embankment in Miller Park, with a maximum height of 2m compared to the 1.09m of the existing wall.

Penwortham Methodist Church a new concrete wall with a maximum height of 2.2m. Includes road ramp to raise existing road levels at the entrance to the church by 1m.

Golden Way Footpath a new concrete wall with a maximum height of 2.2m.

Riverside Road replacement of existing concrete wall running along Riverside Road from the Cadent Gas Pipe Bridge to Stanley Avenue (upstream end of Riverside Road) with a new one whose maximum height will be 2.2m compared to the current 1.3m. Includes glass panels on top.

Ribble Sidings replacement of existing 1.7m flood defence embankment with a 3.5m-high embankment with a 3m crest width. The existing riverside footpath route will be maintained with an access ramp over the proposed flood defences and a new habitat area created on the dry side of the new embankment.

Source: Environment Agency (wall and embankment heights subject to change)

For more details visit: thefloodhub.co.uk/psr

Read the original post:
Hundreds of trees to be cut down in Preston as part of flood defence plans - Lancashire Post

Whats quietly taken place with Judge William Martin steadily at the helm in the Indiana County Common Pleas Court for month after month and year after year is something done by only one other man in county history.

If you knew that Judge John Young, the first appointed when Indiana County was created more than 200 years ago, is the only man to serve 30 years on the bench, you just might be a trivia nut.

But if you knew that Martin will soon be the second to reach that milestone, you have serious command of local history.

A page of history turns Monday as Martins retirement after 29 years on the bench takes effect. Judge Thomas Bianco will assume the title president judge, which Martin held for 22 years, and move down the hall to preside in Courtroom No. 1. Judge Michael Clark will hear cases in Courtroom No. 2 and bring along his staff and personal law library to the freshly painted and recarpeted chambers overlooking North Eighth Street. (Martins old office also has been spruced up for Bianco.)

What also happens Monday will be the uninterrupted flow of justice that Martin has administered lo all these years, but without the need for an out-of-county backup judge and the traveling that would entail. Martin already has been approved by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to assume senior judge status, so he would be called back to the fourth floor on an as-needed basis.

Ill be out, but I wont be all the way out, Martin said. Ive told them Ill do whatever they want me to do. Theyre already scheduling me for some things here.

That would put Martin on track to reach 30 years as a judge in June, and finish one year from now when his elected successor takes office just three months shy of being the countys longest-serving jurist.

Martin himself is the last judge to be appointed by the governor to fill a retirement vacancy, when Judge Robert Earley left the bench in 1991. Then the district attorney, Martin won both the Democrat and Republican primaries and was named by Gov. Robert Casey Sr. as the interim judge, in view of his likely election to a 10-year term that November.

Since then, county voters have been divided on their choices for replacements when Judges Parker Ruddock, Gregory Olson and Carol Hanna retired. Democrats and Republicans chose different nominees for general election contests, and no governor opted to make an interim appointment, leaving the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts to choose from a pool of retired-but-willing judges to help handle the caseload.

Although an asterisk would come into play for observing Martins 30 years as a judge, another passed in October when Martin gained credit for the days in the 1980s when he taught in the paralegal program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. That allowed him to accumulate 30 years of service as a state employee (judges are not paid from the county budget).

October was Martins original target when he pondered retirement at the start of 2020, he said, but the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for avoiding upheaval wherever possible led him to hold off until the turn of the year.

Martin talked about three decades of changes in the courts, how technology has been a double-edged sword for justice, heightened security for court systems and his plans for when his judging days are through, in his first news interview in almost 30 years granted this week in the courthouse.

The courtroom was packed in 1989 when Martin, as the DA, won the conviction of Walter Beatty on two murder charges stemming from a January 1987 fire in a downtown Indiana college bar, the worst of the scores of arson fires that investigators suspected Beatty had started in a three-year spree. Putting away the Indiana arsonist, and winning convictions in nearly every high-profile case he took before a jury, was regarded as what catapulted Martin to the bench.

Sensational trials still drew full galleries for years after Martin became judge, but public attention to dramatic cases has markedly fallen in recent years, and that has disappointed Martin.

I noticed over the years that people feel they cant come. Ive always encouraged people to come to court, Martin said. You can walk in and listen to any case. But people think theres a shroud of secrecy about what were doing and there isnt, its wide open and transparent.

The pandemic the past year has hurt that cause, Martin said. Announcements and signs on the doors saying Courthouse Closed have belied the work actually being done in the courts. A brief respite from rising COVID-19 infection rates in late summer and early fall enabled Martin, Bianco and Clark to continue to dispense justice. Renting the Toretti Auditorium in the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex in White Township enabled the courts to summon scores of citizens for selection to juries, and the courts completed a good run there in August, September and October, Martin said. Judge Bianco tried the first civil jury trial in the state since March. We had three homicide cases and the attempted murder of the two troopers. But then the (virus) numbers went back up.

Over 30 years, caseloads have spiraled. Increasing numbers of criminal, civil and family cases led the state to create a third seat for a judge for Indiana County Common Pleas Court. High numbers of cases led all in the local judicial system to streamline the calendars and to reach more out-of-court resolutions to cases.

More people willing to go to court as litigants to have their troubles aired has increased.What made the job more difficult was the number of pro se litigants (people without lawyers), particularly in family law. We get emergency custody, contempts filed daily. Im usually on the phone to Children & Youth to see if theyre involved, he said. When I first started most people had a lawyer.

While not calling them frivolous, the number of complaints filed by jail inmates especially since the addition of State Correctional Institution Pine Grove to the Indiana landscape 20 years ago has created a glut on the court calendar and resources. Its the No. 1 change Martin said he would make in the legal system.

They have an absolute right to present their case. Being in prison doesnt mean they cant make a claim, he said. But there are so many of them. There ought to be a different tribunal to take care of them on a statewide basis, part of Commonwealth Court or a regional court.

There was no internet when Martin became judge. Windows was a splashy replacement for DOS. He pored over volumes and volumes of law books and relied on judicial publications to stay abreast of precedent cases. Lawyers typed their complaints, rebuttals, briefs and proposed orders and drove them to the courthouse from Altoona, Greensburg or Pittsburgh. Court workers may never have been healthier, from their exercise in hauling armloads of blue jackets between the courts, the reporters and the clerks offices.

Nothing, Martin said, has changed the justice system as much as the digital revolution. A document scanning project has relieved the prothonotary and clerk of courts of file cabinet after cabinet of hard copy. Judges, secretaries, clerks and lawyers exchange documents in an instant by email instead of days by postal delivery.

Its going to change the way people practice law. When you have a pretrial conference in a civil case, a lawyer wont have to drive from Pittsburgh to Indiana, sit down with a judge for 15 or 20 minutes, and drive the whole way back. Martin said. Now lawyers in Pittsburgh who would normally not take a case in Indiana County because they dont want to travel back and forth may now take the case because they know they can appear remotely.

Likewise, lawyers in Indiana County who like to leave the county might take cases in neighboring counties knowing the same thing. So I think this is going to change the way people practice law.

The court system had a lot of practice before the pandemic and Zoom.

Skype and Facetime first changed the way suspects were charged after hours. No longer did district judges have to leave home at all hours for preliminary arraignment in their offices. Video connections between judges in their homes and police officers in the stations replaced that.

When pandemic-related limits on gathering took effect, Martin said, Zoom brought defendants, litigants, lawyers and judges together for procedural matters to move their cases.

If theres any positive coming from the pandemic, its the use of technology, he said.

While trials have not been held online, Martin has allowed lawyers to bring laptop computers and video projectors in the courtrooms. That lets attorneys quickly and easily display photographs or documents to the entire jury, saving the time once lost with jurors individually inspecting exhibits.

It really speeds things along, and I think thats one of the positives. The pandemic has forced us to use it, he said.

But technology presents a compromise that doesnt sit well with Martin because it takes away a human element.

Part of our job is to judge peoples credibility, and its nice to have them in the room with you so you can really observe, Martin said. A lot of that is lost when youre doing Zoom. You can see them but its not the same thing. Thats one of the drawbacks.

Martin estimated he has tried almost 300 cases with juries over his career, as a judge and as an attorney. There, hes in his element.

County judges traditionally have been anxious about choosing juries. They worry most about having to disqualify too many people. Historically, their fears havent been realized, Martin said

If we summon 75 people, 72 people show up, and they dont just answer the questions wrong to get out of jury duty, he said. The people of Indiana County really take it seriously and they appear.

Youre always afraid that youre not going to get a jury, and from that standpoint it is stressful, Martin said. I love trying cases, thats the best part of my job, but jury selection always stresses me out. But we always made it through.

Reaching verdicts in courtrooms is a part of life that most would hope to be perfect. Nothing is absolute, but Martin said he hasnt seen a jury decide a case against overwhelming evidence and testimony presented.

Where thin lines separate acquittal from conviction or findings for plaintiff or defendant, Martin said no decision is wrong.

When I talk to jurors, theyll sometimes say, do you agree with us? Martin said. And I always tell them, Im the last guy to answer that question. I have been in this business so long and I have seen so much, and its not fair for me to second-guess what you do.

The reason we have a jury is to get 12 people from all different areas of the county, different occupations, different walks of life. Its that dichotomy between those people and them looking at the facts that they arrive at their verdict. Have I been surprised? Yeah, I have. But I tell jurors that they get an appreciation for being on a jury and how it works. Thats the huge thing. So you get a new appreciation for the people who serve on juries.

Martin carried a reputation for a calm demeanor and firm control of his courtroom, a trait he said was instilled in him by his father. He said he would urge his successor to abide by the same.

Never make a decision when you are upset. And regardless of who is in front of you, they deserve respect, he said. If you respect the people in front of you in court, you will get it back. And I have tried to do those two things in my career. My father always told me the best compliment a man could get would be to be considered a gentleman. And Ive tried to live up to that.

Lawyers may remember how Martin ran his courtroom but his greatest influence on Indiana Countys court system may be the Drug Treatment Court program inaugurated under his watch in 2007. The program counsels addicted defendants to make dramatic lifestyle changes chief among them, sobriety and become productive citizens, rather than imprisons them and releases them back to a cycle of drug dependency and crime. Noting the team of attorneys, the DA and public defender, the probation officers and treatment specialists who join him in gauging the defendants recovery, Martin downplayed the suggestion that Drug Treatment Court would be his legacy.

There was a lot of reluctance by a lot of people whether this would work, Martin said, noting that he had to remove himself from his traditional role. You become kind of a cheerleader for this person and you do get to know them very well. So from a judges view, its something judges dont normally do in criminal court.

It took a while for me to get used to it, but I think its a tremendous program. We have had some great successes and we have had failures.

The people we look at have been through the system and its kind of a last chance to turn your life around and get yourself straightened out. he said. The warehousing of people with addiction I dont believe is the right thing to do. You get to a point with some people who have to be excluded from society because they wont help themselves and are making victims out there. But those who are truly addicted and have a sincere desire to get their life back, thats what treatment court is for.

Martin said he tells defendants to realize from the start that addiction controls their lives. What we want to do is give you the tools so that when you graduate from this program, and you walk out that courtroom door, you are in charge of your life and addiction isnt driving you anymore.

A proverb holds that its lonely at the top.

For lawyers who rise to the level of judge in their communities, Martin said, changes to their lives may be more than they expected.

It starts as soon as judges are elected. The strong political support and the personal connections made in the campaign for votes disappear.

Your relationship with friends changes, Martin said. It can isolate you. And thats not good.

Gone is being one of the gang in the local legal circles. Up goes an unseen shield against friendship and influence anything that would cloud the view of a judges rulings and opinions being based on anything more than impartial and objective application of law.

Thats the reason why the other judges are so important to you, because they now become your sounding boards and the people you talk with more often than not, Martin said. Socially, you know that wherever you go, if you go out to dinner, somebody is going to know who you are. So it does curtail what you do. And you have to be careful.

The resulting isolation, Martin said, is not good. You have to know how normal people are thinking and acting so you can do your job.

Martins support for community causes is quiet. He has been on the board at The Salvation Army since the 1980s, but the agency never associates his name with their efforts. And he has a hands-off role on any legal matter involving the organization.

His service as a volunteer coach of the Indiana Area Senior High School football team for 25 years was Martins greatest public exposure when not wearing robes in the courtroom.

It played a big part of my life and it was a great thing for me therapy for me, Martin said. He waved his hand through the air. When I walked on the football field, all this went away. It was a good escape.

One of the best things that happens to me is, if I go into Sheetz and see one of my former players, its not Hey Judge, its Hey Coach. That makes my day when I hear that.

As he hands over the mantel of leadership on Monday, Martin does so with full confidence and some words of advice for President Judge Bianco and the days hell burn midnight oil in the office overlooking Philadelphia Street.

What that entails, and what I will not miss, is the administration of the court. That involves not just the cases that come before the judges, Martin said. Youre involved with domestic relations, Children & Youth, probation, clerk of courts, the prothonotarys office, the magistrates offices, all of that. The personnel issues that come up, changes in the law. Hell have to deal with the pandemic and the advantage he will have is that our administrator of the courts, Christy Donofrio, is excellent.

His most difficult decisions may now be made in his office rather than in his courtroom because of the administrative part of this. All the pleas come through him, whatever the lawyers file that require a court order or scheduling will go through him for review, hell be the guy calling Children & Youth every day on custody cases.

But wait, theres more. Bianco enters the 10th year of his first elected term. He must decide on one of the least stressful aspects of politics: whether to run without opposition, asking voters to say yes or no to 10 more years.

But hes going to do a tremendous job. Given where the courts are going, hes the right guy to be leading us. He is tech savvy, Martin said. As we go forward, technology is going to play a bigger and bigger role and Judge Bianco is going to be right there to lead the county and the court.

Until Martin decides to hang up the robes for good and retire from senior judge status, hes under the same judicial code and constraints that have guided him since 1991. So theres no dishing today on the law community, courtroom incidents or his judicial colleagues.

He will be asked to decide at the end of 2021. At whatever point, full retirement will be a true change.

I could do whatever I want to do at that point. I cant use the title judge anymore. Then I could be just Bill, he said. It reminds me, when Judge Olson retired, he said he was looking forward to getting his name back. Being Greg, not Judge.

So what does Bill want to do when the time allows? Travel with his wife, Janet, is on the list. But theres more.

Ive thought about training dogs to be therapy dogs, Martin allowed. He was inspired when he learned about small rural courthouses that have a dog on duty.

They have a dog in the courthouse, a therapy dog, and I could do something like that, where the dog comes in when children are here for Children & Youth cases and things like that, to kind of help them with the stress they would be facing.

Martins agenda beginning Monday, however, differs only in the change of title and easing of the assignments on his plate. A check of the court calendar shows Martin the administrators office has gone light on him so far. Courtroom No. 3 looks to be idle at least through Jan. 15.

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Martin reflects on three decades presiding from the bench - Indiana Gazette

Biden and his allies have noted that Congress granted a similar waiver to James Mattis four years ago when Trump nominated him for the same job. But that comparison is awkward at best. Mattis drew broad bipartisan support because lawmakers at the time expected that he would serve as a potential check on Trumps worst impulses, and because Mattis would have the stature to defy an illegal order if Trump gave one. For obvious reasons, members of Congress didnt quite say this out loud at the time, and those factors arent at play for Biden or Austin. Biden may yet see Austin confirmed, but hell have to expend some political capital to get it done.

Some in Bidenworld have argued that the president-elect is prioritizing experience over other factors. But Bidens hiring moves on Thursday seem to undercut those claims. Denis McDonough, who is reportedly his pick to run the Department of Veterans Affairs, is a former White House chief of staff who also served as a member of the National Security Council in the Obama years. Its unclear how that background will translate to the massive health care bureaucracy that is the V.A. (Most V.A. leaders were also veterans; McDonough is not.) Bidens announcement that Susan Rice, Obamas former national security adviser, will lead the White House Domestic Policy Council is equally puzzling. Rice is one of the most prominent foreign policy experts in Democratic circles and was once considered for secretary of state; her experience with domestic policy issues appears to be minimal at best.

And then theres Rahm Emanuel. The controversial mayor of Chicagos name keeps coming up as a potential contender for Cabinet slots, including secretary of transportation or other prominent administration roles. Emanuel, like many other Biden picks, is a familiar face from the Obama years. But he brings no apparent qualifications for running the Department of Transportation. His own handling of transit and environmental justice issues in Chicago is middling at best, and his role in covering up the Chicago Police Departments killing of Laquan McDonald in 2014 makes him radioactive for progressives and civil rights activists.

I dont want to give short shrift to the challenges Biden is facing. He could be the first Democratic president since 1885 to enter the White House without full control of Congress. The House Democratic majority hinges on fewer than a dozen seats, and any members who resign might not be replaced for months. To capture the Senate, Democrats would also need to win both of Georgias Senate seats in the runoff elections next month to secure a 50-member majority with Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harriss tie-breaking vote. This outcome isnt impossible, of course. But Biden would be foolish to assume that it will happen when building his Cabinet.

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Biden Is Finding New and Inexplicable Ways to Screw Up His Cabinet Picks - The New Republic

When the White House welcomes a new first family it gets a thorough cleaning in the five hours allotted for the turnover. But with a global pandemic raging and an outgoing President whose orbit is rife with people shunning public health guidelines and coming down with Covid-19 this Jan. 20 is expected to include a deeper, more exhaustive cleaning, according to a White House official.

It's one of many changes expected around how the White House operates when President-elect Joe Biden takes over. His campaign has diligently modeled public health guidelines with mask wearing and social distancing even as he campaigned against outgoing President Trump, who instead held large rallies packed with people, many of whom did not wear masks.

While there are not "firm plans" for execution, the agency in charge of things, the General Services Administration, is handling what will be a "thorough disinfecting and cleansing" of every surface in the 55,000 square foot mansion.

Here's what else to expect:

In November, after at least two outbreaks of Covid-19 occurred in the White House, one affecting the first family, GSA contracted a company to regularly "mist" disinfectant cleaner throughout the interior.

Press have witnessed some of the current cleaning, which involve staff in full hazmat-looking suits misting widely used areas such as the briefing room.

These misters are now a frequent and welcome presence to those who work in the building, as science has determined the highly contagious coronavirus can linger on surfaces, as well as be passed through air.

The misters and the cleaners will have to tackle the White House's 132 rooms, which consist of 16 bedrooms, 35 bathrooms, six levels of the residence, 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases and at least three elevators.

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Latest news on the Trump-Biden transition: Live updates - CNN