'That's What You Said!': Kennedy Confronts Judicial Nom About Letter Calling To Release Prisoners

Kennedy thank you Mr chairman um I just feel like I need to ask this question Mr fonzone you when you advised the company's referenced WWE and others you were at sidley yes that's right sir and and when a client comes to Sly you have to F out of form that says you know here's my client name here's my mailing address for for business purposes and here are my political beliefs is that the way it works there's definitely a client intake process I'm not I don't remember all the particulars of it I mean big law kind of it's kind of like who can pay the freight right that's an aspect of the of the intake process I'm sure understand uh Professor I'm looking at a letter dated March 16 20 2020 it's a letter to government Governor Lamont in Connecticut the title of it is urgent action needed to protect individuals in Connecticut's prisons and jails from Corona virus 19 pandemic did you sign that letter so I don't recall sitting here today Senator here's a signature here is back here why didn't you turn this over to us uh when you were asked to submit documents so Senator I made every effort to search for everything that I had ever signed that's not a letter I remember um but I will certainly take a look at that and we we found it was with a search on the internet I apologize Senator that I'm apologize in your letter to the governor you here's what you say as they stand prisons and jails are detrimental to Public Health and Human Rights and disproportionately harm marginalized communities including black brown indigenous and other communities of color immigrants people with mental illness people with disabilities people in the lgbtq plus Community people who use drugs people engaged in sex work and Street economies and people experiencing houselessness and poverty so if you believe that about our prisons how are you going to ever send somebody to prison so Senator um I will need to take a look at that letter and I apologize that that's not something I found to to um uh to hand to this committee denying you said that um I do need to see the letter to see the context because again it's not something I remember adding my name to um I can assure you Senator and uh you also say first you you call on govern Governor uh Lamont to um to to release everybody in jail is that right because of the Corona virus so again Senator I would need to see that letter in front of me it certainly was not you can find it with a just put your name in into Google you'll find it in about three Nan seconds I will Senator I can assure you that I you said you said in your letter Professor we call on government Governor Lemont state of Connecticut and all Connecticut jurisdictions to immediate release to the back to the maximum extent possible people incarcerated pre-trial and postconviction and then you go on to say talking once again about our jails the global coid 19 pandemic is throwing into sharp relief the untenable state of our penal system and the need for sustained action to shrink it shrink its scale shrink its size and Shrink its scope you you sound here like the district attorney in San Francisco if you believe that how are you going to ever send us anybody to jail Professor I can assure you Senator that I understand the role of the judge and that I can assure you prison time is an appropriate sentence in many cases say here to the governor you wrote the governor this isn't some door Dash delivery guy you wrote the governor of your state three years ago so againat in law school so again Senator I would need to look at the letter it sounds like it was written um at the height of the pandemic where Governors were looking for you also wrote the governor you said people over the age of 55 are at the greatest risk for coid 19 but also pose the least public safety risk to our communities people in this age group can and should be released immediately to mitigate the spread R of coid 19 you think the governor just if you're over age of 55 he should have let everybody go uh no Senator that's not a position that's what you said okay here it is biggest D again Senator I I will look at that letter I can assure you that find it on Google Professor um you also say Governor Lamont should issue an executive order to direct the state's attorney attorney offices and law enforcement entities including the town and City police departments and any federal law enforcement entity operating within the state to immediately cease adding to the incarcerated prison population given the high risk of infection posed by the population increase you ask the governor to tell every every law enforcement official in the state to stop arresting people and putting them in jail didn't you so again Senator I have to look at that letter um I I do think there were modifications that the governors were making around the country to respond to the have an opinion in your letter about can I have another 30 seconds Mr you had an opinion in your letter about about immigration you said immigr immigration detention poses the same health risk to jails and prisons and Connecticut Law Enforcement must stop feeding people into the unsafe and inhumane immigration detention system then you say Governor Lamont should release all individuals currently in state custody who are waiting to transfer to IM to ice custody and the governor should declare a moratorium on all on all such future transfers how if somebody is in our country illegally and commits a crime are you going to put them in jail if you believe this about immigration Senator I can assure you were I so fortunate to be confirmed I would treat crimes seriously that's not what this letter says professor and it was 3 years ago wasn't when you were in law school and you didn't turn it over to us we had to find it on our own Senator the chair has been generous in time I think you've had

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Length: 7min 9sec (429 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 01 2023