There are many Judges who preside over death penalty cases and they don't have the difficulty doing so that JSS has. JSS, has made this case an anomaly all by herself. IMO, she is the main factor why this case has lingered on for so long and why it has cost the citizens of AZ so much wasted money.
If I had seen other Judges conducting their court like she has done ..even from the beginning.. I may have some sympathy for her but never have I seen a Judge conduct themselves like she has done in this case.
I could understand somewhat if this was a RICO case involving hit men or the mafia or a case about an abused minor child.
But it has been JSS who has decided that star chambers in this case is far better than openness and upholding the Constitution.
She never makes a decision from the bench immediately which I have seen many death penalty judges do. I would bet that she has had more ex-parte meetings than most any other case in recent history. There is no reason or law that makes her have every sidebar secretive even when the jury isn't in the room yet she does so. I have also seen many DP Judges refuse either side when asked for a sidebar telling them 'to move along.' I can only remember maybe one time in all this time that happened here.
I absolutely think she is the worst Judge I have ever seen in any case that I can recall. I am just being honest, and to me all the backlash she has gotten is deserving based on her bizarre behavior in this case ...especially the resentencing phase... although all of it has been like no other trial I have ever seen.
From what I understand from AZlawyer she did not have to stop the trial while waiting for KN to appeal. And she let him drag his feet knowing he was going to appeal at the last minute to the ASC. Imo, this is not about KN appealing but she is hoping the SC will reverse the lower courts ruling that she erred when giving JA secrecy in testifying. IMO, they will not and she will be rebuked twice, once by the lower court and one by the SC. I bet she cant cite one case where a typical convicted defendant of premeditated murder has testified in secrecy. But it isn't just the error she made with Arias' secret testimony.......the entire DT case has gone off the scales...with more secrecy, delay after delay, and even letting experts use fake names when testifying. Honestly I have never seen that before.
She is the one that is making Arias' case into something it is not. There isn't one thing special about her case except not often do we see a victim so horrifically slaughtered as Travis but other than that JA is the typical DP defendants we often see. Other than that this case is just the run of the mill death penalty case that is tried in courts all across America without all the fanfare and drama.
And countless DP cases are tried much more efficiently and quicker yet they hold up under appeal.IMO
