Remember when South Dakota J.A.I.L.er-in-chief Bill Stegmeier announced his resignation from Jail4Judges and distanced himself from Ron Branson, the author of the Judicial Accountability Initiative Law? Stegmeier said he was going to “sever all ties” to that organization. Likewise, J.A.I.L.’s new “publicist” advised everyone that “Mr. Stegmeier would be taking steps to insure the public is aware the two groups are separate and not affiliated.”
Yet it appears the California shell game continues. If you come across the new brochure the J.A.I.L.ers are circulating you’ll see something interesting. It says: “For questions or comments concerning the South Dakota Judicial Accountability Amendment contact Gary Zerman at 605-xxx-xxxx.” A couple things make this interesting.
One is rather simple. Don’t be surprised to find that the phone number for Zerman is a cell phone number. That’s because Zerman is a practicing attorney in California.
More important, Zerman is intimately involved with Jail4Judges. In fact, in a message to J.A.I.L.ers nationally, Branson and “Barbie” of the national organization took credit for recommending to Stegmeier that Zerman become spokesman for South Dakota J.A.I.L.
Whom did we know that would most closely fill all those prerequisites, and be a good spokesperson for J.A.I.L.? We thought “The only one we know of who would definitely qualify would be the one who has voluntarily been the Public Relations Representative for National J.A.I.L. and who has been doing a superb job for several years.” And most of you know who that is: the one and only Attorney Gary Zerman!
Nor is PR rep Zerman’s only involvement with Jail4Judges. He formed J.A.I.L. with Branson. He helped write the initiative. He is “the number two man within J.A.I.L.’s national movement.” He holds the rank of National J.A.I.L. Lt. Commander-In-Chief. He is Legal Counsel for Jail4Judges.
And, evidently, he remains a lead spokesman for J.A.I.L. in South Dakota. I guess despite what Stegmeier and crew say publicly, they’re having a tough time cutting those California ties (or puppet strings).
People always overdo the matter when they attempt deception.
Charles Dudley Warner, My Summer in a Garden
