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Judge Gayle Williams-Byers Discusses Grand Juries and Public Distrust
< < Back to judge-gayle-williams-byers-discusses-grand-juries-and-public-distrustJudge Gayle Williams-Byers of the South Euclid Municipal Court in Cuyahoga County acknowledges that there is a high degree of distrust by citizens of the legal system and of grand juries.
She feels that people don’t understand the complexities of the legal process and that judges, lawyers, prosecutors and police do not do a very good job of explaining complex legal processes.
In short, people don’t trust what they don’t understand and there is a rising level of public outrage about the judicial system from police interaction with citizens to prosecutors and courts.
Judge Williams-Byers thinks that we are at a critical societal tipping point and that more open and honest communication is necessary among all parties. She applauds Gov. John Kasich’s announcement that he is establishing a task force to examine the issues of community and police relations.
Recently, Judge William-Byers gave a powerful interview to WOUB’s Tom Hodson. She explained grand juries and how cases make their way through that process. She also talked about her fears if various aspects of society don’t start communicating better. She thinks we are at a volatile point.