“Everything secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity.” ~Lord Acton~
In this audio, Tim Kinley and Dede Evavold discuss the rampant judicial misconduct in Dakota County and MN with State Representative Tony Cornish. Cornish is the Chairman of the Minnesota House Public Safety and Security Policy and Finance Committee.
The Minnesota House Public Safety and Security Policy and Finance Committee oversees and funds all areas within public safety, including the court system, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and other corrections and justice programs.
Below are random excerpts from the video:
Tim Kinley: It’s the legislature’s job to oversee the judiciary. We’ve got one of the most corrupt courts in the nation and the reason is because MN is able to hide it so well. While alot of other states are finding judges that are getting paid off and doing other things and getting caught and having the legislature deal with it, our state does nothing. They don’t even look at it. There’s been no official hearings since 2004.
Rep. Cornish: To tell you the truth, I’m about the worst person to come and ask because I get along well with judges, I write ’em letters for a reference to place them in their positions… So I’m about the worst person in the world to come and ask for a hearing on the claim that our court is corrupt.
Tim Kinley: The problem is, it’s the legislature’s responsibility.
Rep. Cornish: We don’t bring judges in front of us and have tribunals.
Tim Kinley: Why not? You can, you should.
Rep. Cornish: I suppose we can do anything we want to. As far as a hearing, I can have any type of hearing I want to. I don’t know, I guess we have a big disconnect, I don’t see the corruption that you do.
Tim Kinley: Well you’re not willing to hear about it.
Rep Cornish: I’ve been hearing about it for at least… 2 people came all the way down to Good Thunder to talk about it. I’m sorry I’m just not interested. I don’t want to have a hearing like that. <– Note: As a Member of the House of Representatives, it is Rep. Cornish’s job to represent the constituents or people, and defend their well-being… and NOT promote his own personal interests or agenda!
Tim Kinley: Our structure, as far as judicial discipline and our constitution, is the same as the federal. House hears the case, senate for impeachment and the senate if they impeach, try it. That’s our system, that’s in our constitution. It just hasn’t happened.
Rep. Cornish:See, this is the whole thing with me is that the complaints usually come from somebody who felt they were wronged and they want to right it. If they’ve lost a case in our system, I’m supposed to somehow believe the whole system went wrong?
Tim Kinley: Well the whole system here is a prosecutor and judge.
Rep. Cornish: I don’t know what to believe. I think it would just be another case of “he said she said” and everybody would be frustrated and mad on both sides, and we would accomplish nothing.
(Note: This is very reason why a hearing is needed – to take testimony, review evidence and conduct an independent inquiry!)
Tim Kinley: Checks and balances. It is a separate branch of government, but each branch has a checks and balance. The checks and balance on the judiciary is nonexistent from the legislature. When you’ve got a Board of Judicial Standards that’s beholden to the Judiciary, they all get their licenses from the Supreme Court, you can’t say anything bad about the court. It’s just unbelievable that you have over 400 and some judges in the state and over the last one hundred years none of them have done anything wrong? It’s just impossible, the odds are against it.
Tim Kinley, public access host of “Speechless Minnesota”, covering issues of family law reform, judicial accountability and all levels of politics in Minnesota says he was shut down from SCC Studio in White Bear Lake because of “politics” and “they didn’t want our message out there.” After 9 months, Kinley is back and stronger than ever!
During the 1st half of an episode of “Speechless” that originally aired on 3/8/2017, Kinley provides updates on the Grazzini-Rucki case.
Kinley says about the Grazzini-Rucki case,”This case, all together, not only with the civil side of the case to the criminal side of the case, is just unbelievable! I have never, ever seen as much corruption in our courts, so systemic, so obvious, so in your face, as I have in this case….this case enters into the most amount of legal issues that I’ve seen in any case, and it is so bad…”
Topics Discussed:
*Efforts to press for an investigation of the Grazzini-Rucki case in the Legislature
*Child support issues in the Grazzini-Rucki case
*Systemic judicial corruption existing at all levels of government in Minnesota and especially the judiciary, being exposed in the Grazzini-Rucki case
*Comparing judicial disciplinary actions in two similar cases in Minnesota and Nevada
“Speechless Minnesota” with Tim Kinley
Kinley says he has been petitioning the Legislature to do a case study, and go through this case “piece by piece” on the Grazzini-Rucki case “for the purpose only of understanding how a judge interprets their laws that they are writing.. and they will find out that a judge does whatever they want.”
Kinley argues that even if the law is changed a judge will continue to “do what they want” and they only remedy is increased judicial accountability.
To illustrate his point, Kinley compares the actions of Judge David L. Knutson and former Nevada judge, Conrad Hafen in two similar cases that were handled very differently in their respective states.
Judge David L. Knuston, is the family law judge appointed to the Grazzini-Rucki case. In September 2013, during the custody trial Sandra’s attorney, Michelle MacDonald, was found in contempt of court, and placed in handcuffed after taking a picture in the courtroom, which she had gotten permission to take.
While MacDonald was detained, Sandra was told that court was dismissed and then left the courthouse, taking the files with her. MacDonald was then ordered to continue with trial, while still in handcuffs and strapped to a wheelchair, without her client being present, without case files and without her glasses or shoes. MacDonald was finally released after spending more than 24 hours behind bars without being charged, booked or allowed a phone call. Lawyer Allegedly Tortured For Doing Her Job
Judge Knutson was never held accountable – federal lawsuits against him are dismissed under the guise of immunity, and The Board on Judicial Standards refuses to investigate (Knutson is now a member of the Board). In fact, Judge Knutson later filed a disciplinary complaint against Michelle MacDonald, who has been charged with making a false statement against a judge! Michelle MacDonald receives ‘minimal’ discipline
Kinley compares this incident to a case from Nevada involving disciplinary action taken against former family court judge Conrad Hafen, who has been barred for life from the court bench in Nevada as punishment for a series of courtroom confrontations, including ordering a defense attorney to be handcuffed when she wouldn’t stop arguing to keep a client out of jail. Hafen is also accused, in 3-4 separate incidents, of holding litigants in contempt of court but never making a record of that. Ex-judge banned from Nevada bench for handcuffing of lawyer
Kinley applauds the State of Nevada for “willing to expose” out of control judges, and for enforcing judicial accountability… the same cannot be said for Minnesota.
Click on the video below to watch this riveting episode of “Speechless”
“Abuse of Courts deprive people and families of their Constitutional rights and their liberties…” ~ Tim Kinley
This episode of Fighting B.A.C.K. with Sandra Grazzini-Rucki featuring guest, Tim Kinley of “Speechless Minnesota” will leave you… well, speechless!
FIGHTING B.A.C.K. AIRING ON NEW DAY: Monday Evening
NEW TIME: 6-8 pm EST/ 5-7 pm Central on Future of Our Children Radio (BlogTalk)
ORIGINAL EPISODE AIR DATE: March 20, 2017
Sandra and guest, Tim Kinley discuss the family court system 360 degrees – from all angles! Topics include family court from a personal perspective, and from a political perspective. Discussion will include Tim’s experience in the family court system, as well as general topics concerning family law. He will also share his knowledge on the Grazzini-Rucki case.
Tim is a father who has been involved in family court litigation, and was the subject of an outrageous court ruling from Judge Gary Bastian that prohibited Kinley from teaching his children the Bible or other religious ideas because it “posed a safety risk“. The court ruling violated Tim’s Constitutional rights, and was not supported by findings or case law. After an agonizing 5 year battle, the Appeals Court overturned Judge Bastien’s order. By then, the damage had been done to his relationship with his children. Kinley was once a loving, involved father had now become estranged from his children, due circumstances out of his control and influenced by the failings of the Court.
Tim had survived being unjustly jailed, financially devastated, and his life turned upside down by the court… and became motivated to improve the family court system by offering education and awareness about court issues to the public, and to legislators. Tim also works for family law reform efforts, with an interest in judicial accountability.
Tim has also extensively researched and covered the #grazzinirucki case on several episodes of “Speechless” and previously conducted interviews with Sandra and her family law attorney, Michelle MacDonald.Tim shares insights on the Grazzini-Rucki case, and what he has observed when court watching.
The show can be heard at the following link below, plz click on the “triangle” to play.
More on Tim Kinley:
Tim Kinley is the dynamic host of “Speechless Minnesota” which can be viewed on Comcast Channel 15 on Wednesday nights at 7:30 pm.
“Speechless” follows Judicial, and Governmental activities in the local and Minnesota state regions with particular emphasis to how the courts and government work and where they have their failing, and what can be done to improve the system.Episodes can also be viewed at: Speechless Minnesota (YouTube Channel)
Corruption in the Grazzini-Rucki case has reached epic proportions – affecting all levels of government in Dakota County and Minnesota, and even influencing local media coverage of the case.
Journalists should abide by ethics and standards so that their reporting is accurate, fair and does not cause undue harm to its subjects. Just the opposite happened when Brandon Stahl and Michael Brodkorb (who now works exclusively for David Rucki, promoting his interest in social media posts and blog articles) began covering the case for the Star Tribune.
A repost from Red Herring Alert suggests the behavior of reporters Brandon Stahl, and Michael Brodkorb, in their coverage of the Grazzini-Rucki case was unethical and exploitative. Further, Stahl and Brodkorb’s appearance at the Ranch in the hours before the Rucki girls were recovered suggests a leak in the Lakeville police that tipped them off to sensitive information on an open investigation that, by law, should not have been released. Did the presence of these rogue reporters compromise the investigation?
From Red Herring Alert: “Sources tell us that an unmarked vehicle with its flashers on was the first to arrive on the scene on Wednesday, November 18, 2015, the day that law enforcement officials located S. Rucki and G. Rucki.
It is further reported on Red Herring Alert that Doug Dahlen, who lives at the home where the girls were located, arrived home to find a vehicle with its flashers on, parked on a gravel road. Not knowing who was in the vehicle, he stopped to inquire if the driver was OK. The vehicle sat there for 3 hours before law enforcement arrived. Brandon Stahl was in the vehicle and went to the door asking for an interview. He gave Mr. Dahlen his business card, identifying himself as Brandon Stahl of the Star Tribune.
It is deeply disturbing to know how law enforcement has tipped off local media to parts of the investigation, prior to any public reports from the officials. Isn’t it pathetic that the Star Tribune sat there for 3 hours prior to the arrival of law enforcement? 3 hours!”
It is unclear if the reporters were tipped off by law enforcement or someone else. Brodkorb says about his role in discovering the whereabouts of the runaway Rucki girls, “Over the summer, my sources provided information that led me to a location near where the girls were found less than two weeks ago. I’m convinced that if I had knocked on one too many doors, I might have made it more difficult for law enforcement to find S and G.” Michael Brodkorb: Why I wrote about the Rucki case
Has Stahl and Brodkorb gone too far in their reporting of the Grazzini-Rucki case?
READ THE FULL ARTICLE FROM RED HERRING ALERT BELOW:
“Interesting, No?” Posted on the Red Herring Alert on November 21, 2015 by Susan:
Local media coverage of the missing Rucki girls has been politically motivated. It is very clear.
It is interesting to note that Michael Brodkorb, who always claimed his sole motivation was to find the missing girls, has not written anything about them being found last Wednesday, but on Thursday, did post an article about Michelle MacDonald.
No post about his relief that the girls were found. No post with relief that the girls can tell their story. No post reporting how relieved the father is. Nope. Just simply an article that shows his antipathy of Michelle MacDonald.
Sources tell us that an unmarked vehicle with its flashers on was the first to arrive on the scene on Wednesday, November 18, 2015, the day that law enforcement officials located S. Rucki and G. Rucki.
It is further reported to Red Herring Alert that Doug Dahlen, who lives at the home where the girls were located, arrived home to find a vehicle with its flashers on, parked on a gravel road. Not knowing who was in the vehicle, he stopped to inquire if the driver was OK. The vehicle sat there for 3 hours before law enforcement arrived. Brandon Stahl was in the vehicle and went to the door asking for an interview. He gave Mr. Dahlen his business card, identifying himself as Brandon stahl of the Star Tribune.
Michael Brodkorb, source: startribune.com
Our sources also tell us that law enforcement treated the girls very well, and promised to listen to what they have to say.
It is deeply disturbing to know how law enforcement has tipped off local media to parts of the investigation, prior to any public reports from the officials. Isn’t it pathetic that the Star Tribune sat there for 3 hours prior to the arrival of law enforcement? 3 hours!
This writer (Susan) appeared on Tim Kinley’s show Speechless MN, on October 29th to talk about the Rucki case. Tim made an observation about the media’s handling of Family Court:
Let’s face it. Divorced parents are treated as second class citizens in every state in the nation. No one cares if your child is withheld from you. The interest in the Rucki case would have received little attention, if not for the fact that the GOP needs Michelle MacDonald to go away. She came within 7 points of winning a seat on the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2014. If you listened to Ron Rosenbaum’s show last Thursday, you can hear his obsession with Michelle MacDonald. Dede Evavold will be posting about that soon.
We also know that the Minnesota Family Court would like MacDonald to go away, as well. She is bad for business as usual in the courts. To have her disbarred for this case would make many people very happy, but the truth is, she came in after the case was a mess. If Michelle MacDonald were to be disbarred for this, let’s hope that Lisa Henry would be, too. She was the lawyer who participated in the phone conference with Judge David Knutson, and was too timid to tell Judge Knutson that it was unlawful for him to throw Sandra out of her home with less than two hours notice.
In all my years of Family Court experience, that began with my own ordeal in 1998 and spanned eight long years, I have not seen any kind of intervention when children are withheld from a loving parent.
Tim Kinley mentioned the Caroline Rice case (accidentally referred to her as Susan Rice, but it is Caroline). You can read about the Rice case and the appeal.
In my opinion, the Rucki case was driven by political vitriol and the courts fail to do what they can to ensure both parents are allowed to spend time with their children. They also fail to protect children from abusive parents, who can be a mother or a father. Readers will have to draw their own conclusion about these issues.
Justice for Sandra Grazzini-Rucki and Children 