I am amazed at the vitriol being slung and the lack of knowledge in these posts.
#1 Just because a judge had a civil practice as an attorney doesn’t mean she doesn’t know criminal law. The Bar exam tests criminal law and she passed.
#2 The prosecutor is not a Judicial Branch employee, they ask for high bail. That is a request, it is NOT a bail recommendation. Some courts have employees who examine the defendant’s record and make recommendations to the judge.
#3 Not only does the judge have to answer to the voters, come re-election time (I think electing judges is absurd, we don’t do it in CT except for Probate), the judge has to answer to the chief judge in her district. The Chief judge may have set guidelines for bail amounts or even sent a message regarding this case. Too much variance from the wishes of the Chief Judge can lead to sanctions.
Judicial Discretion is limited by her superiors