Toss judges' "4 week" rubber stamp

The public should demand that judges throw away their rubber stamps that read "Continued for 4 weeks".

Greg Pyle's court date yesterday didn't even make the Northwest Herald.

Pyle was in the in-crowd at the McHenry County Sheriff's Department until his January 2012 arrest by the Illinois State Police on ten predatory criminal sexual assault charges involving a victim under 13 (family member). Then the Feds grabbed him, and a Federal Court stuck him in Boone County Jail in August on a no-bond hold.

There has got to be a story about the no-bond part, but no one is writing it.

Pyle had a court date in McHenry County yesterday. Now the next court day is August 13.

In 5-6 years of observing court appearances of different defendants I have never once heard a judge grill a lawyer and ask "why", when a continuance is requested. I seldom hear a judge state any expectations for actions in a case by a future court date, so the rubber stamp stays in use - week after week after week.

Pyle's trial on the state charges probably could have been held within 60 days of his arrest. You gather the evidence, collect statements and go to trial.

Did the Feds need a little longer? OK. Give them 90 days, since somebody would have to drive to Wisconsin to collect evidence.

When judges allow lawyers to slide with continuance after continuance, no legal work gets done until the trial date is almost upon them. Then they scurry around and finally put together their case. And hope the other side will cave in.

When a person is arrested, a trial date should be set. The choice of bench or jury trial should have to be declared 60 days ahead. Require that any plea deal must be worked out a certain number of days before the trial date. In other words, stop fooling around.