City Judge Ralph Dukart was cited Friday for driving with a suspended license.
Dukart was required to appear in court no later than Tuesday, Dec 1 to submit his plea to the charge.
The maximum sentence for driving a motor vehicle while the privilege to do so is suspended or revoked is six months in jail and a $500 fine.

H'mmmm...Yawn.

Normally I sort of ignore this stuff but this is going too far. A judge should not blatantly flaunt the law. I'm not sure what action should be taken but something definitely should be done.

I agree! I like to think that a judge would be better than this! If I would ever have to go to his court I would have a hard time respecting him. He is putting himself in a position to be laughed out of court. I hate to see it happen to anyone, but you would hope that a judge would have better knowledge than to do this!

I bet the reason he did, is because he believes since he is a judge he is above the law. Yeah, not so much now.

Isn't this the same judge that got arrested for a DUI? wowza. He sure does know how to keep criminals in check!

in mho, he should get whatever the maximum penalty is ~ this is being a hypocrite. I am thinking of a teen going before him for dui, or breaking a law ~ what example is he setting? When you chose to be in a position of authority, you choose the pressure and responsibility that comes with it ~ you are NOT above the law. I pray he comes to term with his issues and gets some help for whatever they are.

I think he obviously needs treatment for an alcohol abuse problem so many have said in previous threads...sending him to jail won't accomplish that IMO...

the punishment for dui in montana is such a joke- its hardly a wonder no one takes it seriously. dukart isn't the only man of 'status' to have been busted recently, and his actions are proving he feels he is above the law. yet, we all wonder why the young of montana all seem to be dying at an alarming rate from drunken auto collisions. monkey see, monkey do.

I think he obviously needs treatment for an alcohol abuse problem

Are you the boyfriend's mother?

http://answers.yahoo.com/...745AANaGCr

I think I kind of like a judge who can have empathy for his "clientele".

Heath's post made me snort soda pop out my nose! Whoa the burn Nothing like aspirated carbonation to give you that little bit of somethin' somethin'.

Better to be a know-nothing than a know-it-all, right, Heath?

In regards to what Howdy said...i tend to agree with that...It goes to prove that we are all human and have at one time or another used poor judgement. Where does it say that a Judge can't make a mistake..he took a chance and lost, probably because he's being constantly watched ..what if he absolutely had to drive somewhere..he knows he's not above the law he just chose to break it and lost...you're all screaming Off with his Head, off with his head..how about one more chance...how many young people just need one more chance to streighten up..i'de like to think that a judge who himself makes a mistake has the empathy to see the other side. Sure, he needs some sort of punishment but not jail. He wasn't drunk was he? That's the only thing that should land him in the hoosegow..lighten up just a bit will ya...he's human like all of us and needs one more chance..just one though..then throw the book at him...three strikes and you're out! Isn't there any of you who feel like i do on this

Better to be a know-nothing than a know-it-all, right, Heath?

That is the best you can do? I prefer;

He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.
Abraham Lincoln

He is a self-made man and worships his creator.
John Bright

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.
Oscar Wilde

And let us not forget;

A flight attendant was standing at the gate checking boarding passes when a man in a trench coat opened his coat and flashed her. She said "No sir, I need to see your ticket not your stub".

Sure, he needs some sort of punishment but not jail. He wasn't drunk was he? That's the only thing that should land him in the hoosegow..lighten up just a bit will ya...he's human like all of us and needs one more chance..just one though..then throw the book at him...

Mr Flor, he was drunk the first time, that is what got his license suspended. Being a judge how can he deal out punishment and expect people to respect, fallow and learn by it if he himself will not. He got his break when he pled guilty to drunk driving the first time, if he expects others to learn and reform then he should himself.

If he was not drunk the second time then he made a very conscious choice to disregard the law. I agree that treatment is needed if he is an alcoholic but driving drunk once does not make a person an alcoholic. If the second time was with a clear mind, then he chose to break the law and should suffer the consequences. His lack of integrity renders him a poor judge.

I don't know about the rest of you people, but I think judging others ROCKS! Hells Bells! Remember how fun it was for everyone to lay to that Eddy fella? He's gone now, but man, the righteous indignation was flying over that guy! It sure made us better than him, didn't it.

Amen, brother!

Mr. Dukart chose to be an elected official. It is our responsibility as voters to watch and judge how he behaves in office to make sure he represents what we want him too. I feel these actions reflect very badly on how he views the laws he is charged with up holding and enforcing. His actions in his private home are his own business but when he brings them out into the public, the public he asked to represent, then it becomes public business and public responsibility to make judgements on.

Steve - I agree with what you just posted. I just dislike all of the piling on. Did he screw up? Yes. As a public official should he have known better? Yes. Should he get special treatment? No. Should he be tied up in public so we can all humiliate him like the Hunchback of Notre Dame? No....but there are folks on mc.com that act like they'd go for that.

Pot / kettle.

That is all.

cite please.

I enjoyed the link Heath posted. It's no mystery why he likes it. Gnothi sauton, eh Heath?

"All know-it-alls suffer from a lack of self-esteem, and what they seek, through their tireless attempts to impress, is usually approval and validation."

If any of you would stop and get to know this man you would know that he is not in the best of health and needed a work permit. He can not walk the distance to work, and no it is not because he is heavy. Mr. Dukart comes into the gas station where I work and is always very pleasant, yes he has an alcohol problem, but you don't scoff at all the other people that do...just the person that is in the spot light that got caught. I think that the judge that took his license away should have looked at things a little closer, and when he was cited he was not driving drunk again he was on his way to or from work. Get over it and move on, let the man have what little dignity he has left and don't feed on it like a bunch of vultures.

AMEN!! Everyone reaps the rewards of the bad choices we make. Look at Tiger Woods and his bad choices. We all like to live in everyones mistakes like some of us have never made bad choices. I know I have made bad choices (granted I learned from them)it is just a part of life I guess.

"He can not walk the distance to work," CALL A CAB!!!

Just like what he should have done instead of driving when he was drunk!

I think everyone should convince Hom to come back. lol. I do beleive I spelled his name wrong but he was a good judge... fair and could put a good scare in ppl. I remember when I had gotten a speeding ticket a some years ago, he was very intimidating.