Here’s the scenario:

Ex-judge Herman Thomas was once a prominent political figure in Mobile, Alabama as a black Democrat that was repeatedly elected in a predominantly white, Republican county. AOL.com notes that Thomas was selected as the Democratic party’s choice to be the first black federal judge in South Alabama. However, Thomas’ reputation and career began to deteriorate when stories surfaced about him pressuring inmates to have sex with him in exchange for lighter sentences.

Fourteen former and current inmates have come forward accounting that Thomas made them pull down their underwear to spank them with his fraternity paddle and engaged in oral and anal sex with him to stay in good favor with the judge. Thomas would apparently sign some of the inmates out of prison to have sexual encounters with them in his car or and in his private office in the county courthouse. According to court records, one inmate’s semen was found on the office carpet.

The NAACP has come to Thomas’ defense claiming that he’s being prosecuted because of his race. The charges brought against Thomas came as a surprise to many of his friends and colleagues as some recall him showing compassion towards those who got into criminal trouble, and particularly black youth. Interestingly enough, all of the victims are black.

Thomas stepped down from his judgeship in 2007, just before he was scheduled to stand trial before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary on multiple ethics violations charges. And CNN reports that Thomas faces about 80 criminal counts, including kidnapping, sexual abuse, extortion and sodomy. At one point, Thomas faced 105 counts, but some of them were dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired.

Our take*:

Herman Thomas is of course innocent until proven guilty, but anytime someone prominent allegedly abuses their power, it’s going to strike a chord with public.  This case is particularly interesting because it exhibits how the legal rights of inmates are not lost after they themselves have been convicted of a crime. This case continues to unfold because prosecutors are able to collect the stories of the victimized inmates and refer to other sources, like jail checkout records, to build a case. However, we see that some of the charges against Thomas had to be dismissed because of Alabama’s statute of limitations.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a sexual crime, don’t wait to inform the authorities and contact an attorney to help you efficiently see justice.

Posted by Adrienne on October 8, 2009 at 3:06 pm.

* Our in house attorneys helped us formulate this opinion. Although this is advice from lawyer(s), this is not legal advice. Always consult a lawyer for legal matters.

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