Maine's new Sheriff has posted his first recommended decisions for U.S. District Court appeals of denied Social Security claims. You can read the decisions here.
I am not being facetious when I refer to Judge John Rich III as the "Sheriff." Rather, the term refers to the important role that the magistrate judge in Portland plays in Maine's Social Security disability process.
When a wayward ALJ issues a decision that is contrary to the evidence in the case or does not follow Social Security's own regulations and rulings, there needs to be justice. An improper decision is unjust. It is an outlaw act, and when you want to tame outlaws, you need a good Sheriff - like the kind in old Western movies.
So I call him the Sheriff, in the hope that he brings law and justice to an untamed land. I believe Judge Rich will be a sheriff of the type Jimmy Stewart always played in those old Westerns: thoughtful, fair, and courageous.
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