Bexar County Judge Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez has been indicted by the Bexar County District Attorney for placing a defense lawyer in handcuffs and ordering her restricted to the jury box. The incident occurred over a year ago. Elizabeth Russell appeared in court and asked for time to confer with her client in preparation for a
It is fair to say that before trial and during jury selection, a trial lawyer should use all the tools at his/her disposal. Many of us will check LinkedIn to take a look at a potential juror’s profile. But, do not do that in the Northern District of California. Judge William H. Orrick has a
In Oral arguments on Nov, 5, 2025, the issue was the power of the Trump administration to set tariffs on many products, from many countries for an unsopeofied amunt of time. Congress has delegated some tariff powers to the Executive branch over the decades. But, Pres. Trump claims a statute, known as the International Emergency
In a recent survey, only 12 out of 65 Federal Judges agreed that the U.S. Supreme Court makes appropriate use of the emergency docket. The emergency docket refers to the process by which a litigant can bypass the courts of appeals and go straight to the U.S. Supreme Court. There have been far more emergency
When you are a lawyer, you hear that phrase “selective prosecution” now and then. Someone’s brother-in-law or cousin is being picked on by the local County District Attorney. But, sometimes, we see actual selective prosecution in real life. One day, Pres. Trump publicly directs AG Pam Bondi to prosecute James Coney. Days later, the U.S.
Pres. Trump stated his intention to activate Oregon National Guardsmen to protect “war ravaged Portland.” The state then sued. Early Saturday, Oct. 4, U.S. District Judge Immergut issued an order finding that there is no ongoing violence or crisis that would justify a call-up in accordance with 10 U.S.C. §12406. Sec. 12406 specifically allows a
Former Department of Justice officials are “stunned” at what they are seeing today. Pres. Trump openly urged AG Pam Bondi to indict two of his political opponents. The US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia resigned under pressure to cook up some basis for indicting James Coney. Other Federal prosecutors in Maryland, Georgia and
I have practiced law for some 30 years and never heard the term “shadow docket.” But, it has now become a very large deal in 2025. Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of Berkeley Law School, wrote a piece in the ABA Bar Journal explaining this revolution in Supreme Court practice. The shadow docket has become paramount. The
The American Bar Association has filed suit against the Federal government over Pres. Trump’s Executive Orders targeting big law firms. The suit accuses Pres.Ttrump of coercing law firms into forgoing certain types of legal work, and to abandon some clients, causes and policy positions. The suit was filed against the President and over two dozen
It is just totally weird that the Trump administration is targeting major law firms. I wrote about that odd new practice here. Pres. Trump has now targeted a handful of law firms. Two of those firms, Perkins Coie and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, have filed lawsuits seeking protection from these strange Executive