The Territorial

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we live in a country where a bartender can land in jail for serving one too many beers, while a judge can turn a violent criminal loose on the public and go home to a steak dinner.

Think about that for a second. A bartender, in the middle of a Friday-night rush, has maybe ten seconds to size up whether a fellow is buzzed or bombed. One bad call, and if that customer crashes a car later, the bartender can be charged right alongside him.

Now let’s move up the ladder. A judge, sitting in a quiet courtroom, has an entire file on the person.

Pages of priors, details of violence, reports from probation officers — the whole sordid history. Sixteen convictions.

No problem. Back on the street you go, son.

And when that criminal kills an innocent woman riding the light rail, what happens to the judge? Nothing.

Not a fine, not a charge, not even a stern talking-to. Just another day at the office.

If the bartender has to carry the weight of the drunk’s bad choices, shouldn’t the judge shoulder the weight of the criminal’s next one? Common sense says yes.

Fairness says yes. But the law, as it stands, says absolutely not.

And that’s the part that gnaws at me.

The bartender doesn’t have access to background checks. He can’t look up DUIs or pull an FBI file before pouring a pint.

He’s working off watery eyes and slurred words. The judge, on the other hand, has the entire rap sheet.

It’s like a neon sign flashing: Warning! This one is dangerous! Yet when that danger explodes, the judge shrugs and says, “Well, we can’t predict the future.”

That’s hogwash.

If we expect accountability from those serving drinks, then we should demand it from the folks serving justice. Imagine if we did.

“Judge Miller, you released a violent repeat offender who went on to kill. Step down from the bench — and step into the defendant’s chair.”

That might finally bring balance to a system tilted so far it’s falling over.

Now, I’m not saying every judge is careless or cruel. Most want to do right, just like most bartenders desire that their customers get home safely. But when a judge knowingly rolls the dice with public safety, and the worst happens, why should they be shielded while the bartender is shackled?

The truth is, judges don’t just release individuals — they release consequences. And sometimes those consequences have names, faces, and grieving families left behind.

So here’s my proposal, plain and simple–if the bartender is liable, the judge ought to be too. That’s equal standards and accountability.

A drunk on the road and a criminal on the street are both preventable tragedies. And the people who helped put them there should share the blame.

Otherwise, we’re saying that pouring a beer is more dangerous than emptying a jail cell. And if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you — and I won’t even card you before I hand you the keys.