Thread by @KlasfeldReports

A hearing in the unusual judge-appointed prosecution of Steven Donziger is about to begin.

After helping his clients win a more than $9 billion verdict against Chevron in Ecuador, Donziger faced a blistering counterattack.

Recently, he was disbarred:
courthousenews.com/steven-donzige…

Judge Preska started the hearing now.

Recently, Donziger's counsel successfully sought billing records from the private law firm appointed to prosecute him for offenses the U.S. Attorney's office declined to charge.

We got an early look last month. courthousenews.com/quarter-millio…

Lead prosecutor Rita Glavin, a partner at the private law firm Seward & Kissel, has called for a hearing over whether Donziger's attorneys Richard Friedman and Zoe Littlepage should be disqualified.

They were also Donziger's lawyers in Chevron's countersuit against him.

Glavin's team has argued that their representation of him in the civil case could be a conflict of interest in the criminal case.

The hearing is going into a private conference now to discuss privileged matters.

While this private huddle takes place, read up on how unusual this prosecution via a private law firm is.

I asked five ex-federal prosecutors with +70 years collective experience: Only one of them heard about anything like it. That case was dismissed. courthousenews.com/when-feds-demu…

The hearing has been back on the record for some time.

Donziger and his prosecutors are physically present in court, but his defense attorneys (who are not New Yorkers) are not.

He says that it is difficult to communicate with them by phone, privately.