August 7, 2007

Governor Sebelius Rewards $13,700 Democratic Donor with Johnson County District Judgeship

Governor Sebelius announced today that she appointed James Charles "Chuck"  Droege to fill the seat of Judge Steve Leben, who Sebelius appointed to the Court of Appeals in April.  Droege has donated $13,700 to the Kansas Democratic State Committee, and a number of Democratic candidates, including Govenor Sebelius and Attorney General Paul Morrison.  The number and amounts of these donations show that Droege may be a Democratic Party partisan.  

From the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commissions Campaign Finance search page ($8,100 total):

From Open Secrets ($5,600 total):

We can only  hope that as a District Judge, Droege protects society from sexual predators and child molesters more than he did as a defense attorney:

Jury says man is a sexual predator He will be held at state hospital
Kansas City Star, Sept 29, 2004

A man who once sued the state to get drug treatment to curb his sexual urges was ordered Tuesday into the Kansas sexual predator program.   ... Before his arrest in 1990, Heide conceded, he was "out of control." His treatment with the drug Depo-Provera for nine months after his arrest took away the sexual urges that drove his behavior, he said.  ... A state psychologist who examined Heide testified that he was likely to re-offend, while a psychiatrist called by Heide's attorney, Charles Droege, disagreed with those findings.

Teen says she's sorry for role in crime
Kansas City Star, June 15, 2004

At 14, she is considered the victim of a sex crime under Kansas law.

But Monday in Johnson County District Court, it was the Kansas City girl who apologized to the 23-year-old man convicted of a felony for having sex with her. ...  It was only in October, after her parents had reported her as a runaway and police had come to Knapp's house, that he learned she was not 18, defense attorney Charles Droege said in a motion seeking a lesser sentence than the nearly five years that guidelines call for.

Although ignorance of a victim's age is not a legal defense to the crime of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, Droege argued that the overall circumstances of the case warranted a "downward departure" from guidelines

Child molester ordered to be examined by state 
Kansas City Star, June 28, 2000

Stevenson, 58, was convicted in 1980 of taking indecent liberties with a child and sentenced to five to 20 years in prison.
 ...   Stevenson was paroled in 1990, but in 1997 he was sent back after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her.

However, his attorney, Chuck Droege, pointed out that no charges were filed because of questions about the woman's credibility.

Sebelius appointed Judge Steve Leben to be an appeals court judge in April.  Leben is "DRD" -- a Democrat, who briefly changed party affiliations in 2000 to "Republican", and then changed back to Democrat, possibly to vote in the August 2000 Republican primary for Greg Musil. This party change alone is a bit troubling since normally only political activists change political parties, especially to vote in a single election.  

 Leben's wife, Ann Warner, a physician, was a "Republican for Moore" in 2000, 2002 and 2004 (See Republicans for Moore -- the last five election cycles).  Leben's wife, Warner, gave $1350 to "moderate" David Adkins for Attorney General in 2001 and 2002.  She also gave to "moderate" Republican Greg Musil, the  Kansas Democratic Party, and Democrat Dennis Moore:

From Open Secrets ($3500 total):

We should all remember that according to Judge Leben we have no expectation of privacy at our front doors in our homes:

Judge dismisses legislator's lawsuit over secretly taped discussion
  Kansas City Star, July 13, 2002

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Kansas Sen. Kay O'Connor over a conversation secretly taped at her front door.

Johnson County District Judge Steve Leben ruled that O'Connor's assertions that her privacy was invaded were not supported by the facts of the case. 

...

The lawsuit was filed in November in Johnson County District Court against Barbara Fossati, an Olathe North High School teacher who obtained a copy of the taped conversation and allegedly showed it to other people.

Democrat Leben protected Democrat Fossati in her stunt against Republican O'Connor.  Fossati is a Democratic Party political activist and NEA lifetime member.   

If I showed up at Leben's front door, harassed him the way Fossati harrassed O'Connor, secretly taped the conversation, and then showed the video at local schools, Leben wouldn't care?

Sebelius' liberal influence on Kansas courts through her appointment of liberal, Democrat judges will be felt for many years.

Related:

• Political Profile of Members of the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission:
  6 Democrats, 2 Republicans, 1 Republican for Moore,
  Kansas Meadowlark, July 3, 2006

• Sebelius continues packing Kansas Supreme Court with Democrats:
  5 Democrats Vs. 2 Republicans when Kansas has only 27% Democrats!, 
  Kansas Meadowlark, July 22, 2005

K a n s a s M e a d o w l a r k @ g m a i l . c o m