NEW YORK – At a hearing Monday in Manhattan in which he ruled filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza must continue community service for four more years, U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman said he considers D’Souza’s violation of federal campaign-finance laws to be evidence of a psychological problem and ordered further counseling.
D’Souza’s defense counsel Benjamin Brafman provided evidence to the court that the psychiatrist D’Souza was ordered to see found no indication of depression or reason for medication. In addition, the psychologist D’Souza subsequently consulted provided a written statement concluding there was no need to continue the consultation, because D’Souza was psychologically normal and well adjusted.
But Judge Berman, who was appointed by Bill Clinton, disagreed, effectively overruling the judgment of the two licensed psychological counselors the U.S. probation department had approved as part of D’Souza’s criminal sentence.
“I only insisted on psychological counseling as part of Mr. D’Souza’s sentence because I wanted to be helpful,” the judge explained. “I am requiring Mr. D’Souza to see a new psychological counselor and to continue the weekly psychological consultation not as part of his punishment or to be retributive.”
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2015/07/psych-major-judge-overrides-doctors-on-dsouza/#CV2SWxpg07A8V0fG.99
“Psychological” ailments change with the fashions.
Used to be homosexuality was a psychological ailment.
Now not being open to sexual come-ons by anything on two legs (soon to add more legs) is a psychological ailment.
Climate alarmism is being held up as a religion while denying alarmism is attaining the level of new psychological ailment.
Dinesh will be able to turn this into a book or film.
I, for one, will be interested in his observations.
No doubt a judge appointed by Bill Clinton shares the same no-nonsense approach to campaign finance as both Bill and Hillary do and is intolerant to any and all deviations from the most above board, transparent and legal means and methods. D’Sousa got off light; he lucky he wasn’t “deleted”.
The judge should be charged with practicing medicine without a license.
@Ditto: Or practicing law without a clue.
This case highlights the need for more oversight on judges. Not only is this judge out of line for saying Dinesh has a mental disorder (he’s not a psychiatrist or psychologist hence he is not qualified to do so) but for him to ignore the recomendations of two mental health professionals is beyond the pale. It is so outrageous that it calls into question the mental stability of the judge himself, hence, proper oversight would be removing this person from the bench. All of us should be scared to death that a judge could so mis-use his power that he decares conservative thinking as a psychiatric problem. Speak up, write letters to this judge: be respectful but firm in your message that he has overstepped his authority and ability and that he must step down due to mal practice. Also write to the NY bar and ask them to take action to right this wrong.