“Facts” & allegations “supported” by evidence (testimony, statements, documents) that hasn’t been subject to cross examination or confrontational techniques are not properly or constitutionally established.
They thus cannot satisfy the govt’s burden of proof.
The manner in which Judge Chutkan is permitting the Special Counsel to develop the “factual record” - as directed by the Supreme Court to determine the question of immunity in the case - is patently unfair & a violation of the 6th Amendment.
(It’s also interfering with the upcoming election, but that’s a separate issue.)
Rather than let Jack Smith vomit all this uncross-examined & mostly inadmissible evidence onto the public record, she should’ve made a serious effort to create to address this issue properly.
That would have required more time instead of the bum’s rush that she’s giving it.
It would’ve meant requiring the parties to work together to identify all the allegations the govt proposes to make that’re arguably immune & for the govt to also identify all other evidence it proposes to use that’s arguably immune -in a nonpublic manner- as a starting framework.
And from there to craft procedures for developing the factual record -as the SCOTUS directed- in the district court. That could have been done with stipulations, agreed on documents, affidavits &/or reports from experts, & an evidentiary hearing or hearings on contested points.
This is commonplace practice in civil cases and in some complex criminal cases.
Instead, what you’re seeing is the district court letting the govt run the show & failing to protect the defendant’s rights.
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I don’t know who needs to be reminded of this (cough, cough), but you are not bound to obey an unlawful order. And it’s not contemptuous to refuse to obey an unlawful order either.
You run the risk that you’re wrong, of course, & that a higher court will therefore say you ARE in violation of a lawful order & impose consequences.
But, it’s still true that you don’t have to obey an order that is unlawful while the courts take their time figuring it out.
To clarify, I’m talking about orders that are unlawful because the court doesn’t have the authority to issue them, not unlawful because the court ruled the wrong way.
This was the only just outcome. These people were ALL over-charged, over-prosecuted, had unconstitutional conditions imposed on them when released pre-trial, had the most draconian & unlawful pleas imposed on them, & were over-sentenced.
Not even the cases where there was bad behavior by defendants were handled appropriately so as to justify the punishments handed out.
Just as electing Trump was the only way to counteract the lawfare by Democrats, pardoning & releasing all these defendants was the only way to set right the completely disproportionate & inappropriate response of the “justice system” to Jan 6.
DJT has appeared at the sentencing with Todd Blanche, seated in front of an American flag.
Per CNN
Bragg’s office has asked for the unconditional discharge sentence.
Now the prosecutor is doing what they always do - whining about how a defendant who went to trial because he thinks he’s not guilty hasn’t shown remorse after being convicted by a jury. 🙄
So you know. I would never counsel a client to not show up for a court hearing, especially a sentencing.
However, as I said last night on Spaces, if it were me - if I were the client- in this situation, I would absolutely not attend the sentencing hearing tomorrow.
I would instead have my lawyer put out a statement explaining that I view the hearing as ultra vires so I’m not attending.
The lawyers themselves are another matter. They must attend a duly scheduled court session or risk being found in contempt & being referred to Bar Counsel for discipline.
I’m happy the Right of Center now sees how awful the criminal justice system is.
But don’t expect me to be particularly outraged at how these prosecutors & judges have acted because IT’S NOT NEW & IT’S NOT NEWS TO ME.
It’s been this way the whole time & you didn’t care before.
So welcome to the fight, but don’t act like you are dropping breaking news on me, because you are actually late to the party, and I have been at this party since 1996.
Some of the weaponization & smug assholery you’re now objecting to is not a NEW development aimed at J6ers or Trump supporters - it’s how the people who run the system- prosecutors, judges, BOP, & Probation officers -just are. They’ve just turned it on people you like this time.
Judicial Appointments. DJT's new administration needs to put pedal to the metal on judicial appointments.
Right now the breakdown of all federal judges is:
496 appointed by Dem POTUSs;
382 by Repub POTUSs.
Biden appointed fewer than DJT, 214 to 237 as of today.
But, Biden still has two months to put thru appointments, and has about 40 pending. That would then eclipse DJT's number.
It appears to me that more of the older judges (pre-2010) are Republican appointed based on which POTUS appointed them. 145 of them were appointed by the two Bushs & Reagan. Only 33 were appointed by Bill.