Plan B Forum

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... b6e65a25ee

Anyone in a cabinet level position in this administration is going to need a lawyer on speed dial.

*This* is how the Trumpanzee is making America great again. Every lawyer I know - including myself - is jammed to the gills with their billable work and their pro bono work. #lawyersemploymentact

Guinevere wrote:*This* is how the Trumpanzee is making America great again. Every lawyer I know - including myself - is jammed to the gills with their billable work and their pro bono work. #lawyersemploymentact

I have my form letter already prepared:

Thank you for contacting Sue U, LLC regarding representation in the above-referenced matter.

Unfortunately, our current commitments prevent us from taking on any new clients at this time, so we will be unable to provide you with the services you are seeking.

While we cannot presently offer you legal advice, please be aware that there may be important deadlines for taking certain actions in your case, and it is highly recommended that you consult with an attorney concerning these issues as soon as possible.

We understand that if you are a member of the Trump Administration, it may be difficult to secure legal representation. As a courtesy, enclosed please find contact information for the Public Defender Service of the District of Columbia.

Very truly yours,

Sue U, LLC

Anyone in a cabinet level position in this administration is going to need a lawyer on speed dial.

Not just cabinet officers; senior level White House staffers, and anyone else (except his personal legal team) Trump may have communicated with regarding any aspect of Russiagate or his efforts to obstruct the Russiagate investigation...(I fully expect Giuliani and Christie to get letters from the SC)

Even more junior WH staffers who may have been present at meetings where their bosses discussed anything related to this, or who may have had access to any memos written about discussions can expect to be called for an interview...

Yep, a whole lot of lawyering gonna be goin' on...

Sue U wrote:

Guinevere wrote:*This* is how the Trumpanzee is making America great again. Every lawyer I know - including myself - is jammed to the gills with their billable work and their pro bono work. #lawyersemploymentact

I have my form letter already prepared:

Thank you for contacting Sue U, LLC regarding representation in the above-referenced matter.

Unfortunately, our current commitments prevent us from taking on any new clients at this time, so we will be unable to provide you with the services you are seeking.

While we cannot presently offer you legal advice, please be aware that there may be important deadlines for taking certain actions in your case, and it is highly recommended that you consult with an attorney concerning these issues as soon as possible.

We understand that if you are a member of the Trump Administration, it may be difficult to secure legal representation. As a courtesy, enclosed please find contact information for the Public Defender Service of the District of Columbia.

Very truly yours,

Sue U, LLC

Nice letter, but PDS is income-based. I don't believe their mission extends to rich fuckers who can't find a private lawyer crooked enough to rep them.

The Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution:

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Don't see anything there that says it's based on ability to pay.  You're thinking of the 'Miranda' statement, which came about after the 1966 SCOTUS ruling (in Miranda v. Arizona) which said

...The person in custody must, prior to interrogation, be clearly informed that he/she has the right to remain silent, and that anything the person says will be used against that person in court; the person must be clearly informed that he/she has the right to consult with an attorney and to have that attorney present during questioning, and that, if he/she is indigent, an attorney will be provided at no cost to represent him/her.

Note too the Miranda guidelines only reference the right to have an attorney present for counsel and representation during questioning in order to safeguard a suspect's Constitutional rights under the Fifth Amendment concerning self-incrimination — although I imagine a logical and straight-forward interpretation of the term "questioning" would certainly include any and all questioning up to and including testimony (and cross-examination) under oath during the course of a trial itself.

-"BB"-

Actually what I was thinking of was that I worked for PDS in law school, as well as Montana's public defender system, and like all public defender systems, they have a financial eligibility scale and clients making too much don't qualify and don't get a lawyer. Sometimes clients on the cusp are granted a public defender by the court, who then usually orders the client to pay an hourly fee to the public defender system. The cusp is very far below a Federal government salary.

(Do you often attempt to school professionals in a field on information that they hold a degree and license and experience in, using your Google and Wiki skills? What a superhero you are!)

Anyway there are plenty of lawyers scummy enough to represent all the Trump minion - and none of them would settle for a public defender because while many PDs are actually quite exceptional advocates, they are all overworked and could not give the kind of ego-stroking, coddling attention to any individual client that the snowflakes would expect.

eta:

To avoid any snarky counter arguments, here's from the PDS webpage:

Mission & Purpose

It is the mission of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS) to provide and promote quality legal representation to indigent adults and children facing a loss of liberty in the District of Columbia, thereby protecting society's interest in the fair administration of justice.

BSG, you come off just a little bit like Peter Banning in "Hook" — "Don't mess with me, man, I'm a LAWYER!"

No, I'm not trying to school anyone, and I am sure you are correct that in most if not all jurisdictions there are various requirements to prove a claim of insolvency or inability to pay before a person is allowed a public defender at taxpayers' expense.  But as a literate adult American, I'm also capable of reading and comprehending the written word and believing what it is that I just read.  And since the 6th Amendment does NOT say the accused has a right to representation by counsel 'provided he or she can pay for it' I wonder if someone could insist on a strict interpretation of the amendment and demand that counsel be appointed for them regardless of financial status or ability to find a suitable attorney on their own.

That's the point I was trying to make, counselor.

-"BB"-

You need to read Gideon, which is the SCOTUS case that established a right to counsel regardless of ability to pay, based in the sixth amendment.

Sorry your nose got tweaked, BB, but you did come off condescending to someone who matriculated law school 20 years ago and knew about Gideon 15 years or more before that. So by all means, go read and educate yourself before presuming to educate others. There are only hundreds of thousands of pages in law journals and numerous other publications on the problem of accessing the constitutional right to counsel.

Was that case about distributing bibles to hotel rooms?

Call Jimmy McGill! Er, Saul Goodman.


yrs,
rubato

Crackpot wrote:Was that case about distributing bibles to hotel rooms?

I remember the case: Gideon vs Rocky Raccoon.

Here's a good recent piece that discusses the false promise of Gideon. BB, you might find it interesting.

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/ar ... on/273433/