Judge Released Cosby Docs Because Cosby Made Himself a “Public Moralist”
Bill Cosby’s argument against the release of a deposition from his 2005 sexual assault case was that he wasn’t a public figure. But the district judge who did release those damning documents yesterday disagreed, but not because Cosby is a well-known comedian: it was because Cosby decided to become a moral crusader. From the Washington Post:
In his memorandum, Judge Eduardo C. Robreno said the speech, and Cosby’s general posture as a “public moralist,” made the deposition a legitimate subject of public interest sufficient to override Cosby’s objections to its disclosure. “The stark contrast between Bill Cosby, the public moralist and Bill Cosby, the subject of serious allegations concerning improper (and perhaps criminal) conduct, is a matter as to which the AP — and by extension the public — has a significant interest,” the judge wrote…
“This case, however, is not about Defendant’s status as a public person by virtue of the exercise of his trade as a televised or comedic personality,” the judge wrote. “Rather, the defendant has donned the mantle of public moralist and mounted the proverbial electronic or print soap box to volunteer his views on, among other things, childrearing, family life, education, and crime.”
The judge even went as far as citing Cosby’s now-infamous “Pound Cake” speech in his footnotes.
The Pound Cake speech was given by Cosby at a 2004 NAACP event commemorating the 50th Anniversary of landmark Supreme Court decision ending segregation in public schools. In his speech Cosby was critical of black Americans for problems within their communities, citing parenting, clothing, and other cultural issues.
“Looking at the incarcerated, these are not political criminals,” Cosby said in the 2004 speech. “These are people going around stealing Coca Cola. People getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of pound cake! Then we all run out and are outraged: ‘The cops shouldn’t have shot him.’ What the hell was he doing with the pound cake in his hand?”
Of course, the perceived hypocrisy of Cosby’s moral crusading is how the allegations went mainstream last year. After his comments were ridiculed during several protests of police brutality, a throwaway joke by Hannibal Burress brought his condemnation of “vulgar” comedians to the forefront. That, and the social media disaster that was #CosbyMeme, provided a reason for public discussion on what were previously-ignored accusations. As women kept coming forward, and Cosby responded either silently or belligerently to questions, both former and developing shows were dropped. People started digging into Cosby’s past, which is what led to the Associated Press’ fight for the now-released documents.
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