Interview with Joseph Martin Hood, January 29, 2019

Partial Transcript: This is an oral history interview session with Senior District Judge Joseph M. Hood.

Segment Synopsis: Anu Kasarabada introduces Joseph Martin Hood and begins the second session of his oral history.

Partial Transcript: What did that mean in terms of your, your personal and your professional life?

Segment Synopsis: Hood talks about the personal impact that switching court locations had on his family. He goes on to discuss the organization and particular details of his court and chambers.

Keywords: Court organization; Duty stations

Subjects: Court administration; Frankfort (Ky.); Law clerks; Pikeville (Ky.); United States. District Court (Kentucky : Eastern District); University of Kentucky. College of Law; University of Tennessee

Partial Transcript: What do you look for in a, in a clerk?

Segment Synopsis: Hood talks about the qualities he looks for when hiring new law clerks.

Keywords: Hiring practices

Subjects: Judges--United States; Law clerks; Military service, Voluntary; United States. District Court (Kentucky : Eastern District)

Partial Transcript: Let's talk about some of those, um, cases in Frankfort that you were dealing with...

Segment Synopsis: Hood talks about several memorable cases he presided over in the Frankfort (Ky.) division of the Eastern District, including cases that came out of the statewide federal corruption investigation Operation Boptrot.

Keywords: E.J. Walburn; Federal investigations; Judicial chambers; News media; Operation Boptrot; Steve Case

Subjects: Corruption; Frankfort (Ky.); Judges--United States; Judicial opinions; Press; United States. District Court (Kentucky : Eastern District)

Partial Transcript: Your, uh, your sentence for him was pretty interesting.

Segment Synopsis: Hood talks about the sentence he imposed on Donald Blandford, the Kentucky Speaker of the House, in United States v. Blandford. He also discusses United States v. Collins and the role the jury played in it.

Keywords: Don Blandford; Federal investigations; Operation Boptrot; Public corruption; U.S. v. Blandford; U.S. v. Collins, Billy Louis

Subjects: Blandford, Donald J.; Collins, Martha Layne; Judges--United States; Jury; Political corruption; Sentences (Criminal procedure)--United States; United States. District Court (Kentucky : Eastern District)

Partial Transcript: Well, the one thing about the, the Boptrot case, it was--it brought to the attention of the public...

Segment Synopsis: Hood talks the consequences of Operation Boptrot and how the scandal brought attention to public corruption in Kentucky politics.

Keywords: Federal investigations; Operation Boptrot; Public corruption

Subjects: Bribery; Judges--United States; Lobbyists; Political corruption.; Schools; United States. District Court (Kentucky : Eastern District)

Partial Transcript: How do you--do you have a way that you want, um, attorneys to behave or proceed with their cases in the courtroom?

Segment Synopsis: Hood talks about his expectations of lawyers in his courtroom and how they present themselves to judge and jury.

Keywords: Attorneys; Courtroom etiquette

Subjects: Court administration; Court proceedings; Judges--United States; Jury; Lawyer; United States. District Court (Kentucky : Eastern District); Witnesses

Partial Transcript: What is your process once you go into your chambers?

Segment Synopsis: Hood discusses how he determines sentences. He talks about his methods of looking over motions, dealing with defendants, and delivering sentences.

Keywords: Attorneys; Litigation; Settlement conferences

Subjects: Civil law; Criminal law; Judges--United States; Jury; Motions (Law); Plea bargaining; Sentences (criminal procedure)--United States; United States. District Court (Kentucky : Eastern District)

Partial Transcript: Well, you've seen the sentencing change quite a bit...

Segment Synopsis: Hood talks about how sentencing guidelines have changed over time while he has served as a judge, and how they operate today.

Keywords: Advisory guidelines; Discretionary sentencing; Mandatory minimums; Sentencing guidelines; Sixth Circuit

Subjects: Judges--United States; Judicial Council of the Sixth Circuit (U.S.); Mandatory sentences; Pikeville (Ky.); Sentences (criminal procedure)--United States; United States. District Court (Kentucky : Eastern District)

Partial Transcript: Where does sentencing fall in--for you, in terms of your responsibilities?

Segment Synopsis: Hood talks about the emotional burden that sentencing can bring and how he deals with it personally.

Keywords: Judicial discretion; Mandatory minimums; Sentencing guidelines

Subjects: Judges--United States; Justice; Mandatory sentences; Mercy; Sentences (criminal procedure)--United States; United States. District Court (Kentucky : Eastern District)

Partial Transcript: I didn't think they were that difficult.

Segment Synopsis: Hood talks about his experiences with mandatory sentencing guidelines. He gives an example of the only time the Sixth Circuit found him to have not met the mandatory guideline standards for sentencing.

Keywords: Judicial discretion; Mandatory guidelines; Mandatory minimums

Subjects: Mandatory sentences; Sentences (criminal procedure)--United States; United States. District Court (Kentucky : Eastern District)

Partial Transcript: What--when people think of the federal courts, or the courts in general...

Segment Synopsis: Hood shares his perspective on the role of trial courts in the Federal Judiciary.

Keywords: Federal Judiciary; Federal courts; Federal judges; Trial courts

Subjects: Appellate courts.; District courts--United States; United States. Supreme Court.

Partial Transcript: So what's different from when you were an active judge to--what is life like now as a senior judge?

Segment Synopsis: Hood talks about his thoughts on his senior judge status, and how he no longer takes death penalty cases.

Keywords: Death penalty; Senior judges; Senior status; Trial judges

Subjects: Capital punishment; District courts--United States; Judges--United States; Punishment in crime deterrence; Sentences (criminal procedure)--United States; United States. District Court (Kentucky : Eastern District)

Partial Transcript: John Heyburn came on, shortly--came on the bench shortly after I came a dis--became a district judge.

Segment Synopsis: Hood discusses his relationship with Judge Heyburn and expresses admiration for his approach to being a judge.

Keywords: Judge Caldwell; Judge Heyburn; Operation Boptrot

Subjects: District courts--United States; Heyburn, John G. (John Gilpin), 1948-2015; McConnell, Mitch; United States. District Court (Kentucky : Eastern District)