Impeach a judge for giving custody to a child rapist...

Normally, I try to focus my activism opportunities on fundamental rights issues or legislation: the right to free speech, the right to keep and bear arms, the right to be free of unreasonable searches and seizures. But I'm making an exception for this case. Captain's Quarters is making the case for impeaching a judge who awarded custody of a 9-year-old girl to a convicted child rapist who was not related to him, along with the man's two daughters.

See the extended entry for the suggested letter and email addresses, or just read the whole thing.

To the honorable Senator Mike McGinn and Representative Tim Wilkin,

As one of your constituents, I must express to you my profound disappointment and dismay with the performance of Judge Joseph T. Carter in Dakota County. In a decision earlier this year, Judge Carter granted custody of three little girls to Justin Paul Farnsworth, who lived with the girls' mother. At the time, both Judge Carter and the court-appointed investigator, David Jaehne, knew that Farnsworth was a registered sex offender who had raped a 13-year-old girl ten years earlier. Despite this information, Judge Carter granted custody to Farnsworth of not only the youngest two, who are his daughters, but also the oldest, a 9-year-old unrelated to Farnworth at all.

As almost anyone but a family court judge could have guessed, Farnsworth repeatedly raped and abused the 9-year-old for months until she was rescued by a neighbor.

Judge Carter failed to follow Minnesota state law requiring judges to appoint a guardian ad litem for the children during the custody process. The abandonment of the children by the mother and the sex-offender status of the petitioner should have demonstrated an obvious need for an advocate to speak on behalf of the three girls. His failure to follow the law as well as to apply any standard of common sense disqualifies him for the bench, in my view, if not from the Bar altogether.

Any man with a shred of honor would resign his post under these circumstances. If Judge Carter does not act with honor, I urge you to initiate impeachment proceedings against Judge Joseph T. Carter. We must not wait until he allows more children to be raped and abused before removing him from his office.

Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.

This letter should be sent to rep.tim.wilkin@house.mn and sen.mike.mcginn@senate.mn.