Regulars in the criminal courts develop a certain cynicism. It’s a survival instinct, really. We all know the system isn’t perfect. We protect ourselves against the devastating truth that innocent men and women are convicted by strict dedication to procedure. If everyone plays his or her role, then no one is responsible.
But it’s really not that simple.
Consider the case of Adnan Syed in Maryland. Syed is serving a life term after being convicted of murdering a former girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in 1999. The two were high school students at...
February 18, 2015
No sooner had news broken that Craig Hicks was accused of killing three young Muslim college students in North Carolina than calls erupted for a federal hate crime investigation. The Justice Department promptly obliged.
Where was the hue and cry for such an investigation when Ali Muhammed Brown was arrested in 2014 for killing four randomly selected Americans in retaliation for civilians killed by the United States forces in Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan?
“The defendant was on a bloody crusade, executing four innocent men — with the same murder weapon, over the course of...
February 18, 2015
If you are looking for a compelling reason not to elect judges, look no further than the State of Alabama. State Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy S. Moore openly thumbs his nose at the federal courts. He was ousted from office a decade ago after defying a federal court order to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments from a Montgomery building.
The good people of Alabama returned him to office.
This week, he directed the state’s judges to refuse to give marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
He’s a salty old nut, to be sure, but...
February 12, 2015
It is perhaps too much to assert that Hartford attorney Dan Klau plays a role roughly akin to conscience in my life, but he does try to correct the error of my ways. Thus, his emails recently tweaking me for writing in opposition to the Connecticut Supreme Court's ruling requiring Cassandra C. to undergo chemotherapy to treat her Hodgkin lymphoma.
Isn't the law really all about drawing lines, and making difficult decisions? Isn't it irresponsible of me, and others, to sit on the sidelines sniping at those involved in the difficult task of seeing that justice is done? How far would I...
February 6, 2015
February 4, 2015
A couple of decades ago, I paced the halls of the federal courthouse in Hartford for days awaiting a verdict in a police misconduct case. My client...
January 28, 2015
Most lawyers don’t talk much about legal fees with members of the general public. Why should they? It’s rare that good news brings a...
January 27, 2015
I've been reading the press reports about Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's jury selection in Boston with a growing sense of ambivalence. Tsarnaev, you will...
January 24, 2015
Power, Moises Naim tells us, is everywhere on the decline: whether in the realm of corporations, the effective military reach of the state, or...
January 24, 2015
Dying scares me less than suffering. Perhaps that’s because I’ve reached an age at which I attend more funerals than weddings. But I can...
January 14, 2015
Jesus wept at the gravesite of Lazarus, the Gospel of John reports. Theologians debate the meaning of those tears. Some take it as source of sorrow...