By Tim Redmond
I thought this was an April Fool’s joke at first, too, but it’s not: Former Sup. Ed Jew is asking for a reduced sentence in his extortion case because of brain damange
Now, before you go all bananas about this, keep in mind that it’s fairly common in high-stakes capital cases for defense lawyers to argue — often correctly — that their clients’ violent behavior was caused in part by organic brain damage. Arguing that someone has diminished capacity because of head trauma, and that his medical condition should be a factor in his sentence, is a perfectly legitimate legal strategy.
But what I love about this story is that Stu Hanlon, a brilliant defense lawyer, is arguing that Jew’s brain damage was exactly what made him so popular and got him elected:
“His social naivete and exuberance likely endeared him to people initially, helping him to become supervisor, but ultimately contributed to his downfall when more prudent judgment and impulse control were necessary.”
In other words: People with brain damage make excellent politicians. Wow, that explains a lot.