I understand that your Committee now has under consideration the confirmation of Judge Halleck for reappointment to the Superior Court. I write to add my support to his confirmation. I have known Judge Halleck for close to twenty years. He was with this firm before he went on the bench. I worked with him closely while he was with the firm and I have watched his work on the Superior Court with close interest. have also talked with many members of the Bench and the Bar about his performance as a judge. I Perhaps I should begin by acknowledging that he is not the perfect judge. In some instances, I believe he has been indiscreet in certain comments from the Bench. I judge him, however, on balance, and on balance I believe he clearly warrants reappointment. HOGAN & HARTSON December 10, 1975 Judge Halleck is an extremely intelligent person who fully understands the legal problems before him. He is extraordinarily conscientious in his work both in terms of moving his case load along and in terms of making certain that each case and each party before him receives individual and fair treatment. He is scrupulous in enforcing the law as he reads and understands it, and while his views are not constantly shared by some appellate panels, his opinions are carefully reasoned and documented. I think it is immensely important in this community that the citizens themselves, and particularly minority groups, consider our judges to be fair and even-handed. In this respect, I do not know any judge who is more respected by minority groups than Judge Halleck. - He is a champion of their rights in the correct sense that is in the sense that justice meted out will be even-handed. I recognize that this has caused problems for some prosecutors who consider him too lenient, but I believe that the record will show only that he has been strict in enforcing the rules and in demanding adequate performance in all cases. As I said, I look at the man on balance. I believe the balance favors confirmation. Sincerely yours, EBaul Pully E. Barrett Prettyman, Jr. EBP: mda After reading about your Committee's hearings concerning Judge Charles W. Halleck in yesterday's Washington Post, I decided to add my "two cents worth". (My use of my employer's letterhead and my title are for identification purposes only; my opinions of Judge Halleck do not necessarily reflect the views of any other person or organization). This letter may be made part of the hearing record. I have practiced before Judge Halleck for the past 5-1/2 years both as defense counsel in criminal cases and as a supervising attorney for student defense counsel in criminal cases. In my opinion he is a sincere, dedicated and intelligent jurist who, above all, will go to great lengths to see that justice is done. For example, he makes every effort to see that the lay people who appear in his courtroom, be they criminal defendants, victims of crime or witnesses, understand and appreciate the proceedings they are involved in. And Judge Halleck has been a very outspoken critic of those aspects of the criminal justice system which do justice neither for the community nor the accused. Unfortunately, his views are sometimes at odds with those held by other persons of power and office. Nevertheless, Judge Halleck is a man of integrity and will not remain silent at the cost of his conscience. It is true that he occasionally forgets he is a judge and, out of frustration perhaps, responds as a human being to a human situation, but in light of his contributions to the administration of justice, this hardly justifies his being kept from the Bench. Sharing in United Way of the National Capital Area Senator Thomas. F. Eagleton page 2 In addition, Judge Halleck has devoted much of his personal time to assisting in the training and education of young lawyers-to-be by, among other things, appearing as a guest lecturer at seminars and conferences, attending open houses with students at our offices and providing access to and copies of resource and research materials. Thus, it is my opinion that Judge Halleck is highly qualified for the appointment he has held for the past ten years and I respectfully urge that his renomination be confirmed. Very truly yours, Folmadt John Rayon Robert S. John Roper RSJR: jb This letter is being written with respect to the pending reappointment of the Honorable Charles W. Halleck for another full term on the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. As a staff attorney at the Public Defender Service for the past two years, I have appeared before Judge Halleck on many occasions when he has been assigned as a judge in the Criminal Division of the Superior Court. I have had a number of trials (both jury and judge) before Judge Halleck, and I have argued numerous motions and had many clients sentenced by the Judge. " There can be no question but that Judge Halleck at times has become upset and verbalized his displeasure at the defense, or at the government, or at the defendant, or sometimes at the "system. It appears that these few emotional moments often find themselves publicized in The Washington Post or other media. This counsel's own view of those few moments when Judge Halleck has become angered at one aspect of the system or another has been that, for the most part, some positive results have been achieved. To many, it has shown a "human" side of the Bench, which most judges have feared to expose. Even more significant is the fact that the Judge has focused in on some of the inequities and failings of the criminal justice system and raised his voice in an effort to force some changes |