Life Of Jason

I was scanning the News-Leader story of the case I mentioned in my last blog and noticed in a comment that someone claiming to be a local attorney is taking issue with the News-Leader and took a shot at the people leaving comments blasting Judge Brown.

“ChrisMoberg” posted the following:

“It is abundantly clear that none of you know Judge Brown at all, let alone well; your comments are enough proof of that. As a member of the Springfield Bar, and from seomeone who practices in front of Judge Brown on occasion, let me vouch for his fairness generally, his knowledge of the law, and more specifically, for the ruling he reached in this case.

I can’t blame your reactions though - had the reporter done an even adequate job of relaying the facts of the case, or mentioned the proper legal standrds necessary to prove the case, or even in the correct context, you would have come to a very different view of Judge Brown’s holding. I could not help but notice that the reporter did not mention that the prosecutor interviewed was not even in the courtroom for this case. Come to think of it, he did not mention that in his interview either.

Know the facts before you make a judgment based on a news clip.”

According to Google, there is a Chris Moberg who is with Springfield firm O’Reilly & Jensen.

First, I appreciate that someone who practices law in Springfield would weigh in with a comment in this situation.  Obviously, if this is the real Chris Moberg, he would have more of a perspective on Judge Brown and his rulings over time than the general public who really is for the most part learning about the Judge as a result of this story and this situation.

The cynic in me would say this guy’s just trying to score points with a judge but I really think based on the intensity of the rebuttal that it’s likely a very honest and direct response.  Also, according to the O’Reilly and Jensen website this firm does not engage in criminal defense and thus would likely not be representing the accused.

Now…a quick sidetrack…

I do have an issue with the shot he takes at the people leaving comments at the end of his posting.  It’s very reasonable for a reader of the News-Leader to take at face value the stated facts and the comments left in the story.  If the story is misleading, I have no problem calling out the N-L and letting them have it.  They’re big boys and girls for the most part and can handle someone saying their story isn’t quite on the level.

However, to tell someone to “know the facts” before they make a judgment is a very unreasonable shot to take at the people who were rightly outraged by the story.  Mr. Moberg even says the paragraph before he can understand the response based on the reported story.  Come on, Mr. Moberg…you check out every single news story you hear that makes you put a judgment call on someone?  You check out every single story about the President or members of Congress (for example) to make sure the story you heard is 100% accurate and not leading you in any way?  No…of course not.

And…back to the issue raised by Mr. Moberg.  I’d be very interested for him to present the case and show to the parents all over the Ozarks outraged by this ruling why their outrage is misplaced.  Were the facts presented by the News-Leader inaccurate?  Did this man really not stand naked in his front yard exposing himself to a 10 year old girl?

I can see where someone might want to try and split hairs and say that he wasn’t out there thinking that a child could be around him.  However, his residence is in a residential area so you have to expect that children could be around at any time.

If Mr. Moberg or any other lawyer in the Springfield area familiar with the case that would like to present the supporting evidence that the Judge made the correct legal and moral decision I’ll be more than happy to post it here unedited and without comment in that posting.  Just e-mail it to me at jason@lifeofjason.com and I will post it.