Saturday, January 31, 2009

Death Row Inmate Wants to be The Next Supreme Court Justice


Who says the electric chair should stand in the way of your dream job? Not
Michael Lamrbix. Sure, the 48 year-old waits on death row for fatally
bludgeoning and strangling 2 people outside Fort Myers in 1983. But that
hasn't stopped the articulate, overachieving inmate from applying to be
Florida's newest supreme court justice.

This past January 16, Lambrix penned a letter to the Judicial Nominating
Commission asking them to consider him for the open position. "In all
fairness," he writes. "I ask that you not so quickly discount my genuine
desire."

Lambrix -- a fit, balding history buff -- goes on to explain himself:
"Let's be honest...These appointments are about perpetuating the
corruption of politics. Me, I'm already a convicted felon, so at least the
public will know what they are actually getting, rather than a wolf in
sheep's clothing."

After citing employment qualifications, he argues that choosing him isn't
as risky as it looks. If he doesn't perform well, he writes, his
co-workers can just sign his death warrant. ("Can you legally kill any
other justice?")

Although he makes light of his situation, Lambrix has long argued his
innocence. He keeps a blog, deathrowjournals.blogspot.com, in which he
contends that he was a victim of a politically ambitious prosecutor. The
night of the murder, he says he beat a drug dealer with a jack handle in
self defense, after trying to save a woman the dealer was strangling. "My
biggest qualification," he writes. "Is that I'm the only applicant that
has been totally screwed by the justice system."

Not surprisingly, though, the commission isn't taking him seriously. For
one, you have to be a member of the Florida Bar to be considered. Says
Fort Lauderdale-based Chair Robert Hackleman: "I got a good laugh at it."

But our man in the orange jumpsuit does have one thing going for him. This
past October, Governor Charlie Crist sent the commission back to the
drawing board because their recommendations were not "diverse" enough.
So...problem solved?

(source: Miami New Times)

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