Category: Lawyering

Constitutional Law, Lawyering, Politics

“It Simply Does Not Make Any Sense”: Judge Trashes Election Lawsuit by the Elias Law Firm
(MSNBC/via YouTube)

The firm of former Clinton campaign general counsel Marc Elias has lost another election case in a spectacular fashion. The Chief Judge of the Western District of Wisconsin, James Peterson (an Obama appointee), did not just reject but ridiculed the Elias Law Group challenge to a witness requirement for absentee voting. Elias has been previously sanctioned in court and accused of lying in the Steele dossier scandal by journalists and others. Continue reading ““It Simply Does Not Make Any Sense”: Judge Trashes Election Lawsuit by the Elias Law Firm” →

Bizarre, Columns, Lawyering

Michael Cohen Goes on TikTok With New Trump Taunt … and Announces Campaign for Congress?

Fox is reporting that Michael Cohen was back on TikTok last night using the Trump trial to troll for dollars. Cohen reportedly appeared in a teeshirt showing Trump in an orange jumpsuit and asked for more followers. He also reportedly announced his candidacy for Congress, which would allow him to take one of the seemingly few oaths that the serial perjurer has not violated. Continue reading “Michael Cohen Goes on TikTok With New Trump Taunt … and Announces Campaign for Congress?” →

Columns, Criminal law, Lawyering

Stormy Daniels Day: Alvin Bragg Lights Dumpster Fire in Manhattan

Below is my New York Post column on the unseemly scene in the courtroom of Judge Juan Merchan as prosecutors used porn star Stormy Daniels to present lurid details on her alleged tryst with former president Donald Trump. It was a dumpster fire that Judge Merchan watched burn for a full day and then said the jury may have to disregard much of what they saw and heard.

Here is the column: Continue reading “Stormy Daniels Day: Alvin Bragg Lights Dumpster Fire in Manhattan” →

Columns, Criminal law, Lawyering

A Disbarred, Serial Perjurer Walks into a Court and Asks to Take an Oath…Seriously, No Joke
C-Span/YouTube Screenshot

Below is my column in The Hill on the expected appearance of Michael Cohen in the Manhattan trial of former president Donald Trump. It will be a scene that is both mesmerizing and repellent for many, particularly in the bar.

Here is the column:

Continue reading “A Disbarred, Serial Perjurer Walks into a Court and Asks to Take an Oath…Seriously, No Joke” →

Lawyering, Politics

David Hogg Group Hit With Allegations Over Spending Practices and Policies
(Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

Gun control activist David Hogg has been hit with allegations over the spending practices of his group Leaders We Deserve PAC. Conservative outlets are reporting that the group spent comparably little on actual candidates as opposed to travel and expenses. His prior counsel is a familiar name in such controversies in Washington: former Clinton campaign general counsel Marc Elias.

Criminal law, Justice, Lawyering

Rachael Rollins Disbarred After Justice Refuses to Prosecute One of its Own

We previously discussed the controversy surrounding Rachael Rollins, the former U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts nominated by President Biden who was implicated in alleged criminal and unethical conduct. The case presented a glaring contrast to how the Justice Department treats its own officials accused of crimes in comparison to less favored individuals. Now, Rollins has been stripped of her bar license based on the same conduct. Continue reading “Rachael Rollins Disbarred After Justice Refuses to Prosecute One of its Own” →

Columns, Criminal law, Lawyering

Of Pings and Prosecutors: The Spectacular Imposition of the Willis-Wade Testimony

Below is my column in the New York Post on the expanding controversy surrounding the disqualification of Fani Willis and Nathan Wade. In today’s legislative hearing in Atlanta, counsel Ashleigh Merchant testified that cellphone records on one occasion show “pings” on Wade’s cellphone from his home to the vicinity of Willis’s home followed by a call to Willis and then hours of silence. The next morning, she claims, the data shows him going back to his home and texting Willis. It is only the latest example of how evidence against the two prosecutors is growing and possible explanations are dwindling in the case.  The greatest problem is how these allegations are beginning to mirror those against the defendants being prosecuted by Willis and Wade.

Here is the column:

Continue reading “Of Pings and Prosecutors: The Spectacular Imposition of the Willis-Wade Testimony” →

Criminal law, Lawyering

Friends with Benefits? Telephone Records Raise New Challenge to the Willis/Wade Testimony

In the movie Friends with Benefits, the character Jamie asks Dylan “why do I get the feeling this is the first real commitment you’ve ever made?” Dylan responds “It’s not. T-Mobile. Two years. And f*** do I regret that one!”

The ongoing proceedings involving Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and lead prosecutor Nathan Wade seem to be playing out a real-life version of Friends with Benefits, though the benefits may have violated core ethical rules. Now, it appears that Wade may, like Dylan, regret that cellphone plan. Continue reading “Friends with Benefits? Telephone Records Raise New Challenge to the Willis/Wade Testimony” →

Lawyering, Media, Politics

Report: Hunter’s Lawyers Balked at Kevin Morris Pushing Laptop Conspiracy Theories
We have previously discussed the controversial representation of Kevin Morris of Hunter Biden, including the threat from Morris to sue me for defamation if I continued to raise ethical concerns over his conduct. Now a report by the New York Times suggests that even Hunter’s other lawyers had concerns over Morris’s claims, particularly the fostering of a conspiracy theory to deny the authenticity of the infamous laptop of Hunter Biden.

Continue reading “Report: Hunter’s Lawyers Balked at Kevin Morris Pushing Laptop Conspiracy Theories” →

Bizarre, Criminal law, Lawyering

Modus Operandi? Pennsylvania Judge Suspected of Shooting Boyfriend…Five Years After Shooting Her Former Husband

Dauphin County Magisterial District Judge Sonya M. McKnight, 57, is facing a case of modus operandi this week. However, the suspect showing the alleged pattern of criminal conduct is herself. McKnight is accused of shooting her ex-boyfriend in the head while he slept. The shooting took place five years after McKnight was cleared in the shooting of her former husband in the groin.

Continue reading “Modus Operandi? Pennsylvania Judge Suspected of Shooting Boyfriend…Five Years After Shooting Her Former Husband” →

Columns, Lawyering

Who is Kevin Morris? Even Hunter’s Lawyer Seems Unsure

Below is my column in the New York Post on the recent deposition of Kevin Morris, counsel for Hunter Biden. The transcript only magnifies ethical concerns that I have raised in the past despite a threat of a defamation lawsuit by Morris’s own counsel. Morris often seemed confused about what role he was playing as donor, investor, collector, lawyer, producer, or friend.

Here is the column: Continue reading “Who is Kevin Morris? Even Hunter’s Lawyer Seems Unsure” →

Lawyering, Torts

The Curious Ethical Case of Kevin Morris

On Wednesday, I received a letter from Bryan M. Sullivan, a partner at Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP, who is the lawyer of Kevin Morris (who is the lawyer for Hunter Biden). The letter warns that I could face a defamation action if I do not retract (or if I repeat) my criticism of Morris’s representational relationship with Hunter. Putting the personal invectives aside, Sullivan did offer a couple of details on the possible defense of Morris in a pending ethics complaint brought by a conservative legal group.

Continue reading “The Curious Ethical Case of Kevin Morris” →

Criminal law, Lawyering

Fani Willis Accuses Wife of Alleged Lover of Being an Adulterer and Political Conspirator

In a surprising filing, Fulton County’s district attorney Fani Willis has accused the estranged wife of her alleged lover of conspiring to undermine the Trump prosecution by seeking her deposition in the messy divorce case of Nathan Wade. Willis, again, does not deny having an affair with Wade, who she appointed lead prosecutor in the case. Instead, she accuses Joycelyn Wade of an affair that broke up the marriage and suggests that she is coordinating with Trump forces to interfere with the prosecution. Continue reading “Fani Willis Accuses Wife of Alleged Lover of Being an Adulterer and Political Conspirator” →

Columns, Criminal law, Lawyering

Legal Blow: Hunter’s Defense Hammered by Discovery of Cocaine on Gun Pouch

Below is my column in the New York Post on discovery of cocaine on the pouch holding Hunter Biden’s gun. Biden’s team is likely to move to keep the tests out of the trial due to the breaks in custody (it was first thrown into a dumpster and then discovered by a man rummaging through the trash). However, the discovery is the latest setback for the defense team struggling to find a defense to the charges.

Here is the column: Continue reading “Legal Blow: Hunter’s Defense Hammered by Discovery of Cocaine on Gun Pouch” →

Bizarre, Lawyering

AI Did It: Disbarred Michael Cohen Admits to Sending Fake Case Citations to Get Early Release from Supervision
C-Span/YouTube Screenshot

Michael Cohen, former President Trump’s onetime fixer and lawyer, has admitted to a federal court that he was the source of fake case citations used to support his effort to end his supervised release from his earlier criminal convictions. He blamed Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the error, he also seemed to throw his own attorney under the bus for not checking his work. Continue reading “AI Did It: Disbarred Michael Cohen Admits to Sending Fake Case Citations to Get Early Release from Supervision” →