"There is No Comparison Here..."

Are you watching this?

The judge is knocking down the State's arguments under the Blakely factors... in the Kimberly Potter sentencing trial today.

Now, it looks like she is not going to vary greatly from the sentencing guidelines.  More than probation, but no extended sentence, it seems...

"Ms. Potter does not require rehabilitation to become a law-abiding citizen."  Re. recklessness... "there should be some accountability..."

Potter is going to prison. The only question now is... how long?

A "downward departure" from the sentencing guidelines is justified...

The downward departure from sentence "does not diminish Duante Wright's life.  His life matters..."

Now, the judge asks the people who disagree with her decision to stand in Kimberly Potter's shoes using a Barack Obama quote about empathy.  She says Officer Kimberly Potter was ... 

"trying to do the right thing.  ... She made a mistake that ended tragically..."

Officer Potter "never intended to use her firearm. She mistakenly drew her firearm" at all times intending to use her Taser...

The fact she never intended to draw her firearm makes this case "less serious" than other cases...

Her actions were not driven toward personal animosity toward Dante Wright... this case is highly unusual...  This is not a cop found guilty of murder to use his knee to pin down a person for nine and a half minutes as he gasps for air...

Oh, mercy!  

This is cop who made a tragic mistake...

24 months... 16 months in prison, the rest on supervised released.  Credit for 58 days served.  $1,000 fine and $78 surcharge for court charges.  

Justice for all.

The Asian-American judge gets choked up when talking about the potentially deadly work police officers in America do every day...

"OK, thank you." 

And out -- excellent job that likely nobody will be happy with --  Judge Regina Chu.  God bless us, everyone.