Orange County (Santa Ana)
By Don J. DeBenedictis
Daily Journal Staff Writer
SANTA ANA - When Thomas M. Goethals teaches plea bargaining to new judges from around the state, he warns them not to expect to do absolute justice.
"What we deal with every day is relative justice," the Orange County Superior Court judge tells his students. Judges may wish to impose the perfect sentence for each defendant's crimes, but they will be constrained by statutes and circumstances,... (continued)