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People whose drug convictions are set aside thanks to Annie Dookhan can't get court fees back
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Comments
So the clowns on the SJC
So the clowns on the SJC finally found a way to permit the Commonwealth to tax innocence.
Figures!
Not necessarily
Getting your case Dookhanated doesn't necessarily mean you're innocent - the court has upheld several convictions where the prosecution presented enough evidence to merit a conviction even without the tainted drug certification.
In this case, the prosecution decided not to re-try the guy, probably because of the nature of the charges. Yes, still seems unfair he couldn't get his money back, but that's not the same as being proven innocent.
Innocent until proven guilty
Innocent until proven guilty is the law of the land.
The SJC has once again ignored the state and federal constitutions' protection of the little people.
Read the decision
He pleaded guilty. When the Dookhan news broke, he moved to rescind his plea, a judge agreed and prosecutors decided not to try him instead.
There are reasons to be outraged about this ruling, but innocent until proven guilty is not one of them.
Of course not
The courts are not about justice, at least not when there's money coming in. Look what happens when a traffic ticket is written: even if the court determines that no offense occurred, the driver has to pay fees to get that ruling, and those fees are not refunded.
Happy to here at least one
Happy to here at least one Boston Judge isn't a push over