Who was Robert Card? Confirmed details on Maine gunman
Governor Mills established an Independent Commission to investigate the Lewiston mass shooting (ICL) last fall after there were apparent failures by law enforcement and other individuals who may have held the key to prevention.The Commission held its first public hearing on November 20, 2023 and I attended. I got the opportunity to speak, and took it. The meetings were recorded and are available at the Maine government webpage for the Commission. I come in at around 10:35 a.m.
The Commission is chaired by Daniel Wathen, a former chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Wathen is from Aroostook County, like me. Easton being his home town, it's just a few miles from where the sun first rises in the United States; depending on the time of year, it's Cadillac Mountain or Mars Hill.
Even open government laws like the Sunshine Act have some exceptions. And when oversight exists it's often unrushed and/or unproductive, or self-policed by the actual individual complained about, or by those with close ties to them.
When I began to voice my dissatisfaction with certain past decisions made by the Commission members who are former judicial officers of Maine courts, Wathen tried to silence me, saying it was irrelevant.
The ability to hold judges, lawyers, law enforcement officers, and other government employees accountable for blatant and harmful decisions is relevant to the investigation, and to the work the public expects of the Commission.
I mentioned the case Kingsbury v. Forbes, which was a 1998 Maine Supreme Court decision, which got there after it was dismissed, maybe with prejudice, in superior court; I can't remember. The dissent (disagreement) in the case was written by Justice Dana, and Justices Roberts and Clifford agreed with it; here's the last of three paragraphs of the dissent. Daniel Wathen, chair of the ICL, was the chief justice then and in the majority decision:
[¶ 11] A pro se party who has complied with the requirements of the rules and reasonably has placed the responsibility for the next step in the proceedings in the hands of the court, in my opinion, has demonstrated the good cause necessary to prevent dismissal pursuant to M.R.Civ.P. 41(b). Holding pro se litigants involved in small claims actions to the technical requirements of Rule 41(b) in circumstances where the court system has failed to fulfill its own responsibilities defeats the goal of providing a litigant-friendly procedure to resolve small claims disputes. I would therefore vacate the judgment of the Superior Court.
As for Gorman, she's ruled against me and members of my family, violating our rights of due process of the law. You'll find my past posts regarding her by using the search bar in the top left corner of my blog's homepage.
Regarding Rushlau, read this: Former Lincoln County Employee Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit. According to the Bangor Daily News story, Chastity Krah was a victim witness advocate who in 2016 sued multiple individuals including Geoffrey Rushlau, who was then District Attorney for four Maine counties.
Rushlau forced her to resign in December 2014 under false and misleading pretenses
I believe that between the time the lawsuit was filed and settlements were reached, is when then-governor Paul LePage appointed and the Maine Senate confirmed Rushlau to the District Court in Wiscasset...lucky me.
