The Issue: Surrogate Judge Nora Anderson’s escaping felony charges over her campaign finances.
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In The Post’s editorial “Judicial Panel, Heal Thyself” (Oct. 22), you state Manhattan Surrogate Nora Anderson and Attorney Seth Rubenstein’s criminal cases were dismissed in Manhattan because they should have been brought in Brooklyn.
You write “Brooklyn District Attorney Joe Hynes never brought any charges,” and added a gratuitous, snide remark, “No surprise there.”
Perhaps you have forgotten that I successfully prosecuted more judges — Victor Barron, Michael and Gerald Garson — and more elected officials, including Clarence Norman Jr., then chair of the Kings County Democratic Committee, a state assemblyman and Assemblywoman Diane Gordon, than any other DA in New York state. I convicted all five and sent four to state prison, a record unmatched by any DA in New York’s history.
The answer to your sarcasm is that the counts dismissed by the judge and those that they were later acquitted of relied upon the same evidence. Therefore, double jeopardy prohibited us from trying them.
Charles J. Hynes
District Attorney
Kings County
Brooklyn
This is what happens when you have one-party rule, especially when it’s the Democratic Party.
Every day, we read about new abuses of the law, as created, manipulated and ignored by the judges, who were elected by the same sorry Democratic voters. If you are a Democrat on the ticket in New York, you are practically a shoo-in.
And if you steal a little here and a little there, no problem. The DA is probably a Democrat, too.Charlie Honadel
Staten Island