30 Comments

To be precise, the trial is on charges of falsifying business records to interfere in an election by withholding significant information from voters. It’s incidental to the trial that it was about scummy sexual behavior.

The attempt to remove the judge works like this: the judge cannot be fair after I have attacked him for a year and endangered his family. Get a judge who will work for me.

Expand full comment

It's the jury that has to be fair too, right? His attorneys get to challenge any who in answering the lawyers' questions seem biased.

Seems the judge may be smart to avoid slamming Trump's rump in jail for violating the gag order, thereby showing he can shake it off.

Expand full comment

Judith,Judge Merchan sent a letter to both lead counsel yesterday on exactly how jury selection will proceed in this case:

1. Pinpoint self-identified Potential.jurors unable to serve for valid reasons. Judge makes the calls.

2.instructions on how Juror Anonymity will be maintained. The Judge enforces.this rule.

3. Would be jurors will fill out a "Jury Questionnaire".Judge handles those who may be struck typically after examination st the Bench in my California experience.

4.Instructions to Counsel on exactly what's Permissible Voir Dire.

Expand full comment

The legitimate question is why all of his lawyers have not been disbarred for frivolous motions and misbehavior.

Expand full comment

The really legitimate question is why isn't El Blobbo dangling from a rope?

Expand full comment

I'm still stuck on "why is this guy a major-party candidate for president -- again?"

Expand full comment

Michael, New York does not have a "Vexatious Litigant " statute but, there are a number of ways to handle this particular criminal Defendant. FYI, the "Monday Appeal" was rejected. First step is sanctions.

Years ago, Judge Merchan created the New York Mental Heath Court. The Judge still reserves his Wednesday docket for his Mental Health Court cases.

Expand full comment

I saw that he did that. Wednesday, then, might be a fine trial day for Pol Potbelly, given his dementia.

Expand full comment

It looks like things are getting a little tight around the insipid clown, maybe his butt plug is

threatening to let go and his double diaper may not be up to the task, oh well it should make for interesting imagery and some of the news casts might enjoy his discomfort, I know I will. If he was a normal human it might be pathetic, where he's going there will be no sympathy, he burned through that with every life lost to the plague, karma comes calling. ;-)

Expand full comment

Karma is a bitch and she never forgets an address.....

Expand full comment

I was once tangentially involved in a civil case where a plaintiff lost at the trial court level and sued the judge and the opposing counsel. The judge (I think a different one) dismissed. So he appealed. The appeals court upheld the trial court. So he sued the appeals court. (a new suit). So the process started again. Along the way a lot of lawyers were involved and eventually he had most of the Alaska bar in his suit. I don't recall if it ever got to the Alaska Supreme Court or if he gave up or just died or something. I think this was in the 80s.

Expand full comment

Further proof of my theory that there is no connection whatsoever between the brain and the billfold.

Expand full comment

Of course, the plaintiff may have been a lawyer and was acting for himself. There still would be costs just not billable hours. However, we've all heard the aphorism about the attorney who represents himself has a fool for a client.

Expand full comment

one of the things I hate most in the world is to hear people talk about "brilliant investors" and/or "financial geniuses."

I have an old HS friend who ended his hippie existence by becoming a stockbroker. he was smart and managed to buy a few small buildings in Hoboken when it was still a secret. he was able to retire at 38. during one of my lengthy periods of unemployment, we'd hang out a lot, but he had a sense of physical adventure I entirely lacked (he's one of the two guys in "Man on Wire" who chickened out, the other one being my songwriting partner). but for the most part, he had trouble finding other guys to come out and play.

despite the fact that he made Wall Street work for him (which is obviously pretty smart), he always laughed at the notion that anybody he worked with had any serious brains at all.

Expand full comment

That’s a really Alaska story.

Expand full comment

I have locked my dark

passenger in the closet and

scrubbed her white board of

incendiary bullets points of

rough Justice for Trump.

I'm trying to clean up my act/

brain of the damage this

superating boil continues to

inflict on all norms of

civilization.

I did make some notes though. 😉

Expand full comment

Can't we just throw him or rocket him into the abyss and be done with him?

Expand full comment

Proof that money can buy the presumption of innocence. Or so the cretin thinks. Hope he is proved wrong...

Expand full comment

Jeri, there's Hope --- Hope Hicks that is. 'Hope' is on the Prosecutor's Witness List along with other insiders. The Defendant knows exactly what the Prosecution's witnesses' will say under Oath.

Expand full comment

I thought she was a true believer, so glad she is a Witness for the Prosecution. She knows where at least some of the bodies are buried.

Expand full comment

I know the Democrats are infamous for always sticking to the Marquess of Queensberry rules. and bringing a knife to a gunfight. I suspect that in addition to the real fear of physical harm from TFG's followers, too many of our judges suffer from an excess of bending over backwards to avoid even the taint of possibly being accused of being biased or unfair - while the Republicans make off with the family silver (or democracy, whichever comes first). It's more than mortal flesh can bear.....

Expand full comment

Why isn't he dangling from a rope? That is indeed the ? This jackass should have been dispatched long ago. Put him in jail now where he belongs!

Expand full comment

He would be serving time or on death row right now were it not for the large number of his broken and dysfunctional cult followers and the deep snakes with the money, and the so called Christians.

Expand full comment

All those people would quietly fall away if Trump’s lips and fingers were sewn together.

Expand full comment

I will be so thrilled to never hear his name nor voice, and to never see his face again. Can’t come soon enough. If he’s re-elected, nothing will erase this scourge.

Expand full comment

OK, so maybe Trump's strategy is to make such a mockery of the "rule of law" that we the people will give up on it? Nah, never mind . . .

As to “If my thought dreams could be seen, they’d put my head in a guillotine” -- OMG, yes! Either that or I'd be locked up in a mental ward for the criminally insane.

Expand full comment

There are many reasons to dislike New York’s laws for civil procedure (and corporate laws), and this nonesense about suing judges is one of them. Regardless of the parties, how can this be a good idea?

And people think California is weird? 🤦🏻‍♂️

Expand full comment

I wonder if his current set of lawyers is getting paid? And what's his next trick to delay? Calling upon what's left gf the Proud Boys to go "set the judge straight"? I cannot express the level of my disgust and anger that this evil in a human form continues to be allowed to walk free.

Expand full comment

“The prosecutors added that the recusal request was based on a “a daisy chain of innuendos.”’

The irony is no doubt lost on them.

Expand full comment

Thanks Tom I started to read this, but the ecipse got in the way. On a ligter note, Robert was hoping for clear sky in Texas this morning and by the Griffith Park Observatory images, it looks like he got it.

Expand full comment