美国国家公共电台 NPR Opinion: In Judge Sullivan's Courtroom, A Reminder Of American Values（在线收听）

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

A name not normally in the news figured in some of it this week. U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan delayed Michael Flynn's sentencing and questioned the suggestion of prosecutors that he receive a lenient sentence. I can't make any guarantees, he told President Trump's former national security adviser, but I'm not hiding my disgust, my disdain for this criminal offense. He pointed to the flag in his courtroom and said, arguably that undermines everything this flag over here stands for. A day later, Judge Sullivan halted the administration policy that made it difficult for immigrants to ask for asylum because of domestic abuse or gang violence. Judge Sullivan called those policies arbitrary, capricious and unlawful. One judge can make that difference.

Emmet Sullivan's been a jurist since he was appointed to the Superior Court of D.C. in 1984 by President Reagan and the U.S. district judge for the district in 1994 by President Clinton. Over that time, he has pleased and/or upset both Republican and Democratic administrations. He threw out the federal corruption case against the late Republican Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska. He told the government in August to turn that plane around when a mother and daughter from El Salvador were flown out of the country before their asylum case could be decided. It's outrageous, the judge added.

I was once called for jury duty in Judge Sullivan's courtroom. He was unfailingly and conspicuously courteous to lawyers, courtroom staff and the jury pool. We're grateful for your service, he told us. You men and women make democracy work. You hold the fate of a fellow citizen in your hands. There is no more important duty. I was excused from the jury before the case began. I am not only a journalist, which makes attorneys uneasy, but also the stepson of a man whom I loved who was once convicted of a crime. Judge Sullivan called me back into his chambers. I'm sure you could be a fair juror, he told me. It's just wise to avoid any side issue when a man is on trial for a serious charge. I was touched by Judge Sullivan's regard for a defendant and an individual juror. I was impressed by his innate, even slightly old-fashioned courtesy and wound up putting his name on a character in a novel. He sent me a note with characteristic humility.

In a week Washington, D.C., bristled with showdowns, a shutdown, pleas and threats, Judge Sullivan's independence and sense of duty reminded us what the flag in his courtroom stands for.