Posted by Jerry Nagle on April 20, 1998 at 14:28:39:
In Reply to: Re: Question: How did you get copy of Manuel on C.L. courts ?? posted by Common Right Group on August 07, 1997 at 16:27:21:
Greetings,
I am the author of the manual Dealing with Common Law Courts. Please allow me to clarify a few points. First of all, West Publishing had nothing to do with the creation or financing of the manual. Second, the manual was the result of concerned judges, court administrators, clerks, and prosecutors coming together in Scottsdale to identify typical actions by CLC activists and how to respond accordingly in a lawful and respectful manner. That the manual "obviously intends to subvert the principles on which these united States and the whole American political systems were founded," is patently ludicrous and misinformed. In fact, such a statement only serves to reinforce the belief by many in the judicial system that the clc folks are much more close-minded and narrow-thinking than are the judges and prosecutors of the system you all so rail against. Third, the manual was produced under a grant by the State Justice Institute, a federal funding organization devoted to providing research grants for state court projects such as training court interpreters to accurately translate court testimony, providing training for the courts to better deal with child abuse and spousal abuse, studying the impact of gender bias and racial bias in the court system. The Manual is available for anyone to review and copy. However, any attempt to recover other than actual copying costs will be prosecuted by the National Center for State Courts. The reason Anne was questioned about her affiliation was that under the terms of the grant, judicial and government bodies can borrow the manual directly from the Information Service at the National Center as part of the Center's agreement (based on assessments the state courts pay to the Center) while non-court constituents, like Anne, may borrow materials from the Center's library through normal inter-library loan channels. All Anned had to do was go to her local library and request the inter-library loan coordinator to request a copy from our library. There is no other prohibition on making the manual available. Fourth, there is nothing in the Manual that I would consider inflammatory to you CLC enthusiasts. The overall message that came from the Scottsdale conference was that above all else, misguided and disaffected citizens who are sucked into the movement, and the movement charlatans themselves deserve the same due respect and consideration as any other citizen or non-citizen deserves when before the courts of this country. Believe me when I say that most judges and prosecutors do have a strong sense of compassion and concern for their constituents. They care deeply about the trust the public places in them and they do try their best to be honest and straight forward jurists and public servants. That's not to say there are not bad apples in the bunch. I'm sure the clc movement has its own bad apples. Finally, the purpose of the manual is not so much to give the courts a way to fight you, but rather a means to understand better where you all are coming from and perhaps lessen the tension when you come before the legal courts of this country. I will be happy to respond to anyone who wishes to discuss this matter further via my e-mail address. Sincerely, Jerry Nagle