More hefty bills for justice

Another article reporting on the high costs of justice for localities who employ private attorneys. This time, rather than appointing a special prosecutor from a surrounding locality, Appalachia hired attorneys from Norton to prosecute the corruption and election fraud case. The attorneys estimated that their fees will total $150,000 even though they are "compensated by the Virginia Supreme Court at a rate of $90 an hour." If we subtract $10,000 for reimbursement for costs, the case took approximately 1,600 man-hours. The former mayor was enventually convicted and will serve two years in jail along with another two years of house arrest for "[buying] votes with beer, cigarettes and even pork rinds."