Comedian Bill Cosby has been sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison for sexual assault. The sentence will effectively eradicate his legacy and at his age if he gets 10 years it could conceivably mean a life sentence. Another aspect of this: you have to wonder how the publicity of this issue will impact the allegations by two women (so far) about the sexual behavior of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to ram that nomination through, despite polls showing that he is the most unpopular Supreme Court nominee since polling on Supreme Court nominees began — and faces allegations in an era of the #MeToo movement which is celebrating Cosby’s sentence.
Bill Cosby was sentenced Tuesday to three to 10 years in state prison by a Pennsylvania judge who had designated the comedian a “sexually violent predator.”
Judge Steven O’Neill sentenced Cosby in a Norristown, Pennsylvania, courtroom, and then denied bail during pending appeals, capping a two-day hearing attended by about a dozen women who accused Cosby of sexual assault, including Andrea Constand, whom he was convicted of assaulting in his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.
He ordered that Cosby be taken into custody immediately. Cosby, who had removed his pinstriped suit jacket, was escorted out of the courtroom by guards with his hands cuffed in front of him. He held his cane in his right hand.
“It’s been a long journey to get here and today justice was served. It has been a long time coming, but it arrived when a convicted felon named William H. Cosby Jr. left the courtroom in handcuffs headed off to state prison for his crimes,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said with Constand standing at his side at a press conference following the sentencing.
Judge O’Neill rejected a request from defense attorneys to allow Cosby to be released on bail pending appeals.
Reaction on Twitter:
Bill Cosby’s booking photo at Montgomery County jail. He will be transported to state prison shortly, county spokeswoman says. pic.twitter.com/8NE8kZnhCr
— Laura McCrystal (@LMcCrystal) September 25, 2018
Bill Cosby led out of courtroom in handcuffs https://t.co/vSndsxBHT5 pic.twitter.com/z6ME1d6JJh
— The Hill (@thehill) September 25, 2018
Wouldn't it be nice if Brett Kavanaugh was held to the same standard as Bill Cosby?
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) September 25, 2018
Someone better tell Brett Kavanaugh, Bill Cosby’s calendars from 1982 probably had him shopping for sweaters, copping cold cuts and goin to jazz concerts… But we all know what else he was doin now…
— Cyrus McQueen (@CyrusMMcQueen) September 25, 2018
When someone tries to compare what Bill Cosby did to what Brett Kavanaugh is accused of, just remind them that Bill Cosby was accused by over 30 people and was found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Maybe keep politics out of this one for once- it's getting really embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/92OZXg5ksR
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) September 25, 2018
Lesson from Cosby conviction: Sometimes no matter how well-connected a man is, no matter how prestigious his accomplishments, justice is served if he hurts women. Maybe Senate GOP can learn from current events & demand justice not “plowing through this.“ https://t.co/KpoU0kMyiS
— Barbara Boxer (@BarbaraBoxer) September 25, 2018
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.