Government has often, and correctly, taken on the role as the equalizer in American society. When a great social need presented itself, such as with the civil rights movement, our government had the force and ability to right a wrong, and move our country forward. When our government created an injustice by confining Japanese Americans during World War II, our nation though belatedly, addressed and compensated the families.
The Georgia Thompson case in Wisconsin is another example of where the government has a duty and responsibility to address a wrong. Thompson is requesting, through her lawyers, that she be compensated $360,000 for legal bills and other expenses as the result of what we all know now was a highly political case handled in a reckless fashion by overzealous prosecutors. Thompson went to prison to serve an 18-month sentence on a conviction of steering a contract to a firm that had political connections to Governor Doyle. A federal appeals court abruptly overturned the sentence, and Thompson was released from prison.
My call for full compensation and justice for Georgia Thompson is not new. In fact, at the time of the reversal earlier this year, April 5th, 2007, I wrote that Thompson had to be compensated fully for the government’s action against her.
“Thompson needs to get a state job that equals in pay to the one she had to give up as a result of this court action. She needs to be compensated for lost pay, and damage that was done to her pension and health benefits. She also needs to have some way to be compensated for legal bills that was the result of a truly bogus and shameful witch-hunt by over-eager prosecutors.”
Thompson did get a job back at the Department of Administration. But it is now time for the Wisconsin State Claims Board to compensate Thompson in a timely fashion. As was noted in the Wisconsin State Journal story last week, Madison criminal defense attorney Stephen Hurley who represents Thompson says that no amount of money can undo the damage.
“Hurley, who noted that Thompson sold her home to help pay her legal bill, said the money will never “undo the emotional trauma which the charges have wrought.”
“Nor will any award provide compensation for the four months and nine days she was wrongfully incarcerated,” he said. “But an award will help her put the pieces back together.”
No one can deny the wrong that took place, and that nearly completely ruined Thompson’s life. Worse is the fact that our government did it! Therefore, there can be no other avenue for accountability by the state than for the taxpayers to compensate fully Thompson’s claim. Anything short of full compensation only gives license to this type of political prosecution to take place again.
Technorati Tags: GeorgiaThompson, Wisconsin, Madison
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 
Yes, the state definitely ought to pay her costs, of course — and it ought to be expedited, rather than the usual delays in such claims (none of this “the claims board can’t find a time to meet in summer,” can’t rustle up a quorum, etc.).
Then, can the state sue the federal government to compensate it after paying her costs, since it was the federal attorney who is responsible for this appalling case? Can the state go after the US attorney himself, maybe make him sell his home so she can buy one? (It won’t ever be the same as getting her own home back, though.)
Too bad that the state claims process doesn’t allow her to file for pain and suffering. There oughta be a waiver of that law in this case, if the legislature cared at all about justice.