The Ada files: Judge Stokes holds court
Despite what I was told on Monday, Judge Stokes allowed me into a hearing involving a minor.
Magistrate Stephen Stokes, who holds court in room 407 in Ada County Court, was put into a dicey situation by my presence, but he stood up for open courtrooms.
The guardianship of Sebastian
Before that, he dealt with a sad family situation.
Sebastian turned eighteen earlier this year. He is developmentally challenged.
He can’t take care of himself.
I have covered many guardianship cases. Most of them involve the elderly. Brittney Spears is an exception.
Sebastian, whose last name I’m withholding, is one of the youngest people I’ve seen put into guardianship.
Though I’m against guardianship, Sebastian definitely needs help taking care of himself.
Dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, he had a twitch and said very little.
All guardianships in Idaho require a guardian ad litem (GAL), creating the environment for abuse.
I saw no abuse in this case.
The hearing was perfunctory, held to make Sebastian’s father his guardian.
Everyone was in agreement. In fact, everyone agreed on almost everything.
The only argument occurred when the GAL presented his report. The report is generally made in writing, but this one was done orally.
Magistrate Stokes ended the argument by saying that the law does not require a written report.
Magistrate Stokes ordered Sebastian’s father to be the guardian in this case.
The Minor
The second case was a dull insurance case. The reason for court involvement was because a minor got into an accident, and the court had to order the minor’s parent to oversee the settlement until the minor turns eighteen.
The only controversy occurred at the beginning of the hearing.
With me and Mark Esquibel watching, Magistrate Stokes was on the spot.
The hearing was confidential, but all courtrooms are open, despite what Magistrate Diane Walker thinks.
Magistrate Stokes asked the lawyer in the hearing and his assistant if there is a rule or law which barred us from seeing this hearing.
There is not: the double talk I heard on Monday from Diane Walker, who closed all her hearings that day, was proven to be nonsense.
Magistrate Stokes warned us that the case was confidential, so while we could watch, we couldn’t report on the details.
Not a problem. Besides proving that Diane Walker closed her courtroom outside the rules, this case was dull.
