Former U.S. Rep. Bill Janklow (R-SD) is passing his final bill on to the taxpayers. It’s the bill from any lawsuit stemming from his manslaughter conviction.
Janklow is the former Congressman with a notorious lead foot. He was stopped 16 times in recent years for speeding, but never ticketed. The last time he was stopped, it was for speeding through a stop sign, hitting, and killing motorcyclist Randy Scott.
Janklow resigned from congress after he was convicted of second degree manslaughter. He served 100 days in jail.
Scott’s family is without a breadwinner. They sued Janklow. Their lawyer wants to move the trial to state court where they could seek punitive damages (those are not allowed in federal court).
Punitive comes from the same root word as punishment. It lets citizens, through the courts, get justice in the form of money – even if the criminal courts fail. Some people can easily see a mere 100 days in jail for recklessly killing someone as a failure.
But now, U.S. Magistrate Arthur Boylan decided Janklow was on official business when he killed Scott. So taxpayers have to pay for Janklow’s carelessness.
If it’s any consolation to taxpayers, at least he won’t be getting a pension. He hadn’t been in Congress long enough to qualify.
Too bad. Some folks might like to see any pension signed over to the family of the guy he killed.
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