Today, Donald Trump’s lawyers asked Judge Chutkan to hold Jack Smith in contempt. They want her to require Smith to “show cause” for why he didn’t violate the stay in the case while Trump’s immunity motion is on appeal. The full pleading is here. It’s important to understand what is and isn’t at stake with this motion. It has no bearing on the ultimate issue of Trump’s guilt. This is an aside to the referee, saying that Smith violated the rules the game is supposed to be played by; that he was offsides so to speak, setting a couple of plays in motion before the clock started.
Trump is hilarious. These attorneys (if they really ARE attorneys) are trying EVERYTHING in the book to get him off/out/whatever of these crimes. Next, they will be suing G-d for something at the rate this is going and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least. Trump needs to be stopped, arrested and thrown in jail. Then everyone can start anew and run for office the way they should. I give credit to Chris Christie for telling the people the truth. I know he won’t be nominated, but it’s good to listen to him. He just needs to stay there and keep going.
Back in the day, we'd joke about people getting their degrees or driver's licenses from Montgomery Ward. Since that store "died" decades ago, might I suggest that perhaps his attorneys received their law degrees from eBay or Amazon?
C’mon, no need to insult Family Dollar. Everything they sell is of better quality and of more value than any of the law degrees tfg’s attorneys have received. 😉
How long was that Ivy League university in business before they finally found that it was just another way for Trump to rip people off? I'm not sure how all of that happened? I may have known at point, but he's done so many bad things, it's hard to keep track anymore.
I sometimes wonder if they don't write these briefs purposefully full of holes. Might it be a way to placate T while ensuring they don't lose their licenses?
As long as you still have your receipt, that might work. You'll need to decide what kind of diploma (what kind of law degree you want to be typed in, along with your name,
Oh, one thing might make it harder is back in those days, receipts didn't show the item by name, so the could be a problem.
Good luck with getting this done. Seems to me that based on the EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT LAW, and their years of experience, Trump never fails to pick the cream of the crop. Of course, they're too stupid to think he'll pay them, so they should consider themselves as volunteers.
He always whines about being as poor as a church mouse, but now he wants to buy Greenland so he can "own" the people and be their devoted King.
Strangely enough, about 20 years ago, I was a "temp" and was never able to make it permanent, so I quit and went to paralegal school. I paid $5,000 for tuition and then there were books to buy, too. They promised that they'd help us with jobs once we graduated. I aced the courses, especially criminal law, and when this was over, their assistance consisted of newspaper clippings of want ads from papers throughout the local area. What a sham (or scam). I stopped by the public defender's office with my resume and asked if I could help them by working pro bono for six months or so, so I could get some good experience, and they said no, because I wasn't a real paralegal. That sucked.
In retrospect, I would have saved all that money by going to Montgomery Ward School of Law, or the one at Sears. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that the K-mart here also had a law school for a short while until they had shut it down because some kind of scandal involving the Dean of Students and kick-backs. of some kind.
So, does your old washing machine work? Is it a wringer kind with four legs, and a rubber hose attached? That's what my mother used when I was young. I would help pull the items through the red and black rollers.
This has been the least stressful "chat" because we never used the name of Himself. No matter what, I still look forward to Joyce's daily news. It all makes sense and is truthful, which is such a relief.
Sometimes after reading these lawyers' 'briefs' and 'motions' I wonder if it was TFG doing the writing. After all, he has spend 50 years reading this kind of stuff. He should have pick up a few things.
If so, then he should be sanctioned for practicing law without a license.
I was actually wondering about that, because people never exposed to the law wouldn't know half the things he has said or done.
I've always said that he's not as stupid as he appears. Deranged, yes. Evil, yes. Shady and sneaky, yes. Obsessed with Putin and our other adversarial leaders, definitely. I only took one semester of psychology, so I can't offer any thoughts about his mental issues, but based on what I've seen I think he's purposely acting weird so when he finally goes to court he can plead insanity, even though that's not a legal defense. He'll find SOME way to beat the system.
I don't think tfg knows how to act any other way. He is not stupid but he thinks everyone else is. He has no self control so he says stupid things that he thinks no one else will notice or understand.
I’m bowled over by the petition for certiorari, where someone wrote that the Presidential oath to “preserve, protect & defend the Constitution of the United States” doesn’t imply “supporting” the constitution, so he really never broke his oath. The Colorado District Court put another fat wriggly worm on the hook, that the President isn’t an “officer” of the Federal Government. The brief nattered on expanding on this bizarre idea, not realizing that’s a trap too. I doubt that a middle school debate club would come up with intellectual chum like that. I’m sure that’s pure tfg.
A more charitable interpretation is that Trump's attorneys are milking him dry - screwing him just like he has screwed so many contractors - they don't mind one bit if he loses and gores to prison while they take millions off of him.
Christie is no better. He is a criminal too. He ran New Jersey like we all complain about TFG. Always hiring for loyalty versus competence. Using extortion to gain compliance. He shut the state down on a budget dispute over a holiday weekend and then went to a state beach, which was closed to all, for a family day. Same suit, just a different color. There are no good republicans. They are autocrats or fellow travelers.
Agree including about Christie - in fact, I donate to his campaign purely to show support for his willingness to attack Trump during the GOP primaries.
I’m at the point with Trump that I loathe him so much and wish he could be stashed away in Gitmo so we can’t hear or see him. He can do his upcoming hearings in NY virtually then we still couldn’t hear or see him.
We were brainwashed by the nuns at Catholic school to never, EVER hate someone. (The Devil, of course, was the exception, but that doesn't count, since he's not a someone. I'd say he's a someTHING instead.) The sisters have moved on to The Big Convent in the Sky, and now I think it's okay to feel the same way you do, too.
I vote for Gitmo or Leavenworth, preferably Gitmo. Virtual hearings are possible, and the best thing about them is that should he decide to make a huge scene, spinning his head around while spitting out green split-pea soup, they can always "cut to a commercial." Just kidding about the commercial. That might not be constitutional.
I remember seeing a court proceeding years ago where the defendant was sequestered in another room with the ability to see and hear his trial proceeding, but was not able to "violently participate."
Five years ago, I couldn't have imagined all of this violence and madness. Now, it's as if people are becoming numb or just don't care anymore. I don't think that this is what our founders and forefathers had in mind when they were working on The Constitution and the Bill of Rights, do you?
So now, we have a wanna-be dictator itching to have another chance to destroy our country, and another POTUS candidate who's completely clueless about the Civil War. What's that saying about not learning from the past means history will repeat itself? I sometimes draw a blank in the middle of a sentence, thanks to a concussion I suffered five years ago.
In fairness, my mother worked in court, (and I'm 71), and people were attacked all the time. That's what the Bailiffs were for.
There are just some individuals who either cannot help themselves, as violence is all they know; or get so enraged over what they feel is an injustice and attack on themselves. And society will always have some of those types.
I saw the attack. It was horrific and the poor judge was way down for the count. She and another court official were hospitalized. Defendant was so violent that it took 3 or 4 big men to finally subdue him. The whole thing was terrible.
Fellow Catholic school grad here. Ah yes I remember being admonished for saying the word hate in school. A friend of mine, also a Catholic school grad, once told me I should never say I hate anyone when I happened to say how much I hated the someTHING (so spot on) in front of her. Her feelings about hating the someTHING have changed and she openly agrees that hating tfg is ok.
Since one of his places of residence is New York State. And they have at least 3 of the worst prisons in the United States. He should serve out his prison sentence in Rikers, Attica, or Sing Sing.
Why are US prisons so genuinely horrible? Punishment is the deprivation of liberty, not being animals in a cage so long that they become degenerates. Why do we do that?
Because they state run and has insufficient funding or they are run by a contractor that is more concerned with their profits than running a safe prison.
One question: Isn't there greater legal nuance w/r/t a stay? For example, this afternoon a previous counsel to Trump said on CNN (one of the few moments I've listened recently) that there are different types of stays - one that puts the entire matter on hold and does not allow any filings and another type that allows for legal filings and continued submittal of discovery but simply places the trial and rulings on hold.
We all know Trump's strategy: delay, delay, delay. And when he loses his appeal and then receives discovery with just weeks before trial, he also wants to claim (actually, *whine*), "Your Honor, Deranged Jack Smith is being very mean and not giving us enough time to defend (a/k/a POST ON LIAIR'S SOCIAL) against the reams of evidence proving my guilt!"
Is it just me, or do others feel like he'd be able to get a heck of a lot more productive case-related things taken care of, if he didn't spend 26 hours a day whining, complaining, demanding, asking, insisting, or suggesting one thing or another?
Jim Jones could have been productive, too, but it takes a lot of energy to keep control over the cult. My question is, when does he pass around the koolaid?
Delay! Delay! Delay! Poor Mr. Trump. I recall at the beginning of all these lawsuits that his lawyers needed more time because there was just too much evidence to plow through.
My dad always said “ You can’t do business with Hitler”!
Joyce. I know your class was a success. So excited for your students. I don’t know how you do it. Saw you in MSNBC too today. Do you sleep? Thanks for the explanation and clarity tonight.
It is presumed that Mr. Smith had case law to support his position. Regardless, the gist of it is that, while the actual court proceedings/hearings calendar is in abeyance, the timetable(s) for filing paperwork remains in order to expedite proceedings once the appeal is settled. The opposing side has the option to wait-and-see, or, file their own responses, per schedule. If they do nothing, and lose the appeal, then they can whine to the court that the dog ate their homework, and beg for more time to comply.
Assuming you are not legally trained, versed in Pro Se litigation, etc., that is not surprising. tRump's side should be fined for filing a frivolous document. :-)
My fondest remembrances of Biden's campaigns were watching the people in their cars in that shopping center parking lot in Delaware. Unfortunately, Trump changed everything before Biden was sworn into office.
Having Biden "visit" with us in our living rooms or family rooms might bring back some sense of "normalcy" (whatever that is these days). I'd rather find out what's going on now, or WILL be going on in the near future, by seeing and hearing that directly from Biden, whether or not his fireplace is working, than having it yelled and screamed at us, in between obnoxious commercials on TV.
If this concept doesn't work, maybe those who object to fireside chats can come up with some new ideas that will help make sure we're all on the same side, which is keeping our democracy, leaving our Constitution alone, preventing us from having leader who's already warning us of what his first day in office will be like if he wins the election in November, and letting us live our lives in peace.
As Joyce reminds us with each email, "We're in this together." If it weren't so late in the evening (or early in the morning), I might be able to remember the name of the group and their song that repeats the phrase, "United we stand, divided we fall . . . . . "
I was moved to tears listening to the President share his journey of losing his wife and daughter back in 1972 and then his son, Beau, a few years ago. It's a must listen. The President speaks from the heart. Great idea on him doing fireside chats!
Biden needs to regain the narrative. He is not the best at PR but it’s all we have. And he doesn’t fit my ideal but it’s all we have and we must stay united.
I agree Bill. We must stay united but chats worked back in the days before technology and social media. Young voters will not be impressed by chats and I myself, being 69, find the thought boring. Getting out in public, live energetic communication is needed. If anything, fireside chats shows more of the age dilemma.
I understand your interest in fireside chats but what Susan just said about getting out an talking makes more marketing sense now. Getting out will block the “basement” line.
A short presentation of good things done during the week to protect the nation would be a good counter to TFG's "loud mouth". A few minutes out of a listener's week isn't too much to ask.
FYI: A "strong candidate" is only as strong as you help to make him. Trump is a "strong candidate", made strong not by his "loud mouth", but by those people who helped to make it so. I'd much rather help a "strong candidate" that promotes democracy, rather than a candidate who wants to tear it apart. The authoritarian FG is the latter.
That would certainly cheer ME up! I get melancholy each Christmas season, and haven't been able to shake it yet, so I apologize for sounding cynical. It definitely would make me smile from ear to ear, watching such a dramatic, happy ending to someone so deserving of that kind of fate. Unfortunately, there are 70 or so million MAGAs would continue "the mission" without him. They were brainwashed even before he was elected, and the cult has grown not just in size, but in hostility and deadly threats,
I don't get to see my therapist until next month (she had surgery), so I need to hear or read some GOOD STUFF about these legal proceedings --- or lack thereof --- before I pull my hair out.
Off topic a little, what's up with all the sarcasm, foul language, and nastiness on tonight's forum? It has nothing to do with what Joyce has written, and for the most part, people have been quite civil. I'm still new to this forum, so am I missing something?
We HAVE to be in together, because there is no other option.
We are tired, frustrated, and in traumatic situations. It actually serves us better than to be civil and polite all the time. Frankly i am okay with it.
I feel the same way. Just hearing his name brings out the worst in me. It didn't occur to me that ALL OF US are bummed out, but for the time being, at different levels (percentages?). Between now and November 4th, those levels are going to get a whole lot higher. Don't you agree?
We have been being gaslite by him and his ilk for years. We are in way deep and have had to listen to him for years before his 2011 announcement considering a presidential run...think birther BS. We are seriously bummed and our cortisol is through the roof. It is not healthy but our very survival is being threated. I was eating dinner last night at a bar and an older man said, "i feel like the wars going on are distractions like the 70s." I cant disagree with that.
I, too, am way beyond frustration regarding that slob. I thought I was just too sensitive or over-reacting, when in reality, I'm more sadistic and sarcastic than a woman my age ought to be. DJT has brought out the WORST in me, for sure. I worked with the military from the late 60's through most of the 70's, and lost many friends, classmates, and a few co-workers (enlisted and one major) during that time due to what we called "Vietnam."
Now, we are facing God knows how many wars around the world, with the number going up, not down. I remember people building fallout shelters. I remember air-raid drills in school when we'd go out into the hallways, crouch down, face the wall and cover our heads with our arms, That was the late 50's when the USSR had Kruschev, who was just as bad as Trump's BFF Putin is today.
I used to be angry about the horror we're facing and the prospect of what Adolph Trump has up his grubby sleeves if he gets elected. The thought of what he's promising to do quite frankly SCARES THE HELL OUT OF ME. I worry about where I'll be when/if the Big Guy (literally) in N. Korea makes good on his promise to nuke us. Will I be safe at home? Driving to the store? Sound asleep? Having surgery? (I'm having surgery in the not-to-distant future,) So much to worry about, so now I understand --- and definitely apologize --- for not being able to figure out what's going on.
I love Civil Discourse, and look forward to every "chapter" that Joyce sends to us. I have no idea how she finds time to think, or sleep, but she hangs in there without whining, and certainly gets no complaints from us.
I'm running out of room, and didn't realize how early/or late it is, depending on where you are. I can hear some of the early risers already, who are warming up their cars before heading to work. Makes me wonder how many of them are also bummed out, trying to survive. From what I gather from the skuttlebutt I hear from the local kids, most have parents who are Trumpublicans, A few of those who don't have kids let their side of the aisle be known by having old, worn-out Trump/Pence bumper stickers.
Thank you for my civics lesson. This stuff is coming more into focus now.
As Tiggr said - sending a hug - because what else can we do at this point? (other than VOTE - write emails & letters etc). I'm guessing most of us who read Joyce are having the same thoughts you are.
Like you said she hangs in there - we have to do the same. Frankly spouting off here or at LFAA helps, right?
It is too obvious that not only is Trump seeking further delays, which is his norm, but now he is trying to squeeze money out of the government to alleviate the cost of his criminal behavior. Frankly, when all this is over and crybaby is finally in prison, I think the United States should file a suit against The Republican National Committee, The Republican Party and all its major donors for the amount of taxpayer money this whole fiasco has cost us - including the useless MAGA Republicans in the 118th Congress
She’s already been fined, what - a million dollars? in Trump’s service. And disciplined on top of it for being a crappy lawyer. She is destined for Fox or OAN if Trump goes to jail, where her looks will help people forget that million-dollar hiccup and the fact that she lost the case for her high-profile client.
Evening Joyce. Our fireside chat seems to be hitting the nerves of us all and wearing us down. This is the beginning of our 2024 presidential election and I’m trying to stay sane, not blame or declare futility at this juncture. I believe we are a unified body wanting a stable America that respects the rule of law. I believe in us. Tomorrow could bring some good news. And if not tomorrow the next day. We are in a marathon to save us from a catastrophic outcome. Patience may be our greatest strength. Hear Hear and thanks again for the truth as we navigate for the good of all of us 🇺🇸🗽🥁🫶🕯️🗳️
What worries me most is that the most brilliant legal minds today, like you and Neal Katyal and Andrew Weissmann and Barb McQuade, are giving trump's ineffective lawyers ideas regarding how to fight things. Thus, inadvertently, the legal battle is playing out in the media. Explaining to the public what is happening is different from giving the roadmap to trump's team. We really need to put trump away for his transgressions. Let's not help him stay out of prison, please.
While the Supreme Court considers whether Trump should be on state ballots as an insurrectionist — journalists should be asking him now: if you lose in November 2024, will you respect the election results???
And that AWFUL orange filter he makes all media outlets use when recording him, to retain his carotene, er.....I mean HEALTHFUL glow, give the guy some credit!! 😂🤣
He should watch some of those late-night "info-mercials" on TV where they show the before-and-after pictures of the ladies who looked like regular people like me (who's too uncoordinated to wear make-up anymore) where they spray-paint their faces and miraculously look amazing. What amazes me is that once their paint has dried, not only does their skin look nice, but suddenly their hair is shinier, their teeth are whiter, and their double-chins aren't as obvious.
I'm surprised that Trump hasn't ordered his own kit, or had someone order it for him to use. Then he could have the healthy glow we can only dream about.
I agree. What makes me smile, now that Joyce has introduced us to her chickens, is that each time I see her offering her wisdom and obvious knowledge of the subject matter, I can't help but picture her offering the pieces of bread to her sweet animal friends.
That's what a REAL person is like. Nothing phony about someone who's that down to earth! MSNBC viewers are blessed.
I know I say this all the time in your comments Joyce, but I can't fucking stand him and wish he was already locked up pending trial at the very least. Our country is trash and Merrick Garland is a weak and feckless waste of space. I bet he lied to Biden during their meetings and now Biden is stuck with him.
I will grant you that venting can be cathartic. That first sentence is understandable... but, your last two are off-the-rails nonfactual mudslinging... and am not sure how they are germane to the post topic.
I disagree. Jan 6th put us in uncharted waters. Garland went for the low hanging fruit (participants in Jan 6th), got convictions which set precedence, flipped some defendants, and built a case against the bigger fish. I am not an attorney, still it seems to me to make sense. And I have seen it explained this way from people who are attorneys whom I trust.
Like Biden, Garland gets a bad rap. Undeservedly so.
Again Carrie, I disagree. We do not know what Garland was doing behind the scenes, away from public view. Unless you have special knowledge about Garlands actions/inactions you cannot say that he did nothing for a year.
You are of course entitled to your opinion and entitled to blow off steam by stating it. Yay freedom of speech.
I just don’t see how it contributes to a blue victory in 2024. It is like complaining that Biden is old. Yes he is. And the earth is round. Moving on. Biden is also our candidate and we are going to support him. We have to keep our eyes on the prize (blue tidal wave up and down the ballot in 2024).
That first year Garland was legally dismantling trump's army of well-armed proud brown shirts, flipping the traitors who then provided the air tight evidence that Jack Smith now can use to convict trump. "When you strike at a king, you must kill him." (Ralph Waldo Emerson.)
I'm voting for Biden despite the fact that he made a huge mistake by giving Bibi weapons and money to kill Palestinian civilians and reporters. He needs to get his act together because executive branch appointees and campaign staffers are quitting in too high of numbers. His Silent Generation white cishet brain has to pivot to the electorate that gave him the WH which is younger voters, BIPOC folks and LGBTQ people like me (lesbian).
I like Jack Smith. He started out a little slower than I thought he would, but now I have to give him credit for all that he did behind the scenes, because when he announced the indictments, it was a really well-received surprise and a relief! The judges are the ones that concern me now, because he'll take two steps forward, only to be told to take one backward, etc., etc.
I believe he is a wonderful chess player and knows the federal court system better than anyone on the scene. And he knows it from a Judge’s perspective. The Federal Court system is a long game. How many times has Trump near versus settling, which is not a win. Nor are individual rulings that seem to favor him in Palm Beach or jury. Whether a bench trial or a jury trial he loses big in every time I know except stormy Daniel’s lawsuit which I don’t understand and don’t really care about
It's taking too damn long and meanwhile there are bomb and other threats and swatting of people who have dared to challenge him. Every day our country gets more dangerous because of the entire MAGA GOP.
Yes it is, and we’d all like to see hi stroke our on live TV with his shitter vein just popping. But if you read any of the motions — pro se litigants and law students are more direct, concise and know/learned how to cite law and cases… sometimes from the defense lawyers own work… it’s not a fast track but it is a mighty one
Mike, while most of this is in response to what you wrote, it’s also for Carrie. Ever since The Vulture descended from his dead tree in Trump Tower, the world has almost quit rotating on its normal axis. This country has gone through a drubbing and most of us have some form of PTSD from it. That said, we have got to keep the faith and VOTE! No excuses allowed.
Also, never forget, a lot of this mess may end up in front of that alleged “Supreme” Court and everything has to be just so because there is nothing certain coming from that quarter. Yes, we would all like to see the orange one locked up with the key thrown into the Grand Canyon and lodged under a boulder but that is not the case right now. We are all in this together, as Joyce says but blaming Merrick Garland isn’t going to help anyone lock turd bucket up any earlier. If we lose faith in our institutions, we’re doing just as the Orange Gasbag wants us to do. That certainly won’t help anything.
Carrie, if you want to vent and if you don’t do so already, I’m going to suggest you check out Jeff Tiedrich’s Substack. You probably don’t have to pay just to read it but most days the comment section is worth the price of the subscription.
Retired Tx lawyer here and being familiar with the 5th Circuit I can say that the judges were some of the most conservative in the country LONG before Trump made any judicial appointments to that appellate court. And although I share Carrie’s frustration about the slow pace of the federal cases against Trump, anyone familiar with federal criminal litigation has to recognize that it usually takes one or two years to muddle through to the trial stage. Why? Our Constitution requires that a criminal defendant be accorded due process of law, which includes the right to appeal certain pre-trial matters. Otherwise, the Special Counsel’s work will be for naught because higher appellate courts may reverse the case on appeal. Then that’s a real pickle.
Brava Laura for the sane-sage note of reality here. It truly is reality therapy to be reminded that these cases take years - and we are pushing for months.
But the judges Donald put on the bench are lawless pieces of garbage who do not care about precedent or settled law and just make shit up to please the MAGA cause. See the 5th circuit for example.
And b/c so many of us are feeling more and more hopeless about our future. I move from anger to despair and back again. Can no one shut 45 up? It’s nothing but one court filing after another, each one eroding American democracy. Please make it stop!
I thank God every day that we're still able to have the freedoms we do have, because I'm scared that after November 4th, life as we know it will be unrecognizable.
I am about be able to retire. Im getting my ducks in a row. College professors in my field will be hammered. We already are having programs cut. I have severe PTSD from the years of crazy.
Also, I've stopped watching MSNBC and listening to political podcasts because nothing that is said on them means anything when these criminals aren't held accountable. All they exist for is to fill time and generate revenue for the white cishet male corporate MAGA GOP hacks that run these outlets.
And none of the financiers or GOP electeds or others who were the ringleaders of the insurrection have been charged with crimes. Like what the fuck? This is why I think Merrick Garland is a weak piece of trash.
Jack Smith is playing chess, Trump is playing checkers. Stormy Daniels' case is set for March 24, 2024 in New York (Trump was indicted so it's a criminal trial). It may be moved if the Washington DC trial set for March 4 needs more time. Trump allegedly paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 in hush money but the money came from the wrong souce (I may not have this correct).
For someone who's the Attorney General, he keeps a low profile. I'm sure there's a good reason for that, so hopefully it's a GOOD reason that will have a good outcome.
How do y'all feel about the use of profanity here on a Substack called "Civil" Discourse? Personally, I don't think it's appropriate. Most of us here are articulate enough to make a point in a respectful and civil manner.
Sorry...but the moment he came down the elevator the profanity began. We all knew how f*ck** we were if he won. We were correct. Profanity is the LEAST of our worries.
Agree that Elevator Guy is as profane as it gets. I choose to let that lie with him and his vile sycophant MAGAts. Public profanity is not a "worry", but it is offensive to many. This forum, titled "Civil Discourse", led by the brilliant and gracious Joyce Vance, is not the place to bring the f-bomb. There is a platform for that over on X. Thanks for the asterisks Tiggr.
Trump is hilarious. These attorneys (if they really ARE attorneys) are trying EVERYTHING in the book to get him off/out/whatever of these crimes. Next, they will be suing G-d for something at the rate this is going and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least. Trump needs to be stopped, arrested and thrown in jail. Then everyone can start anew and run for office the way they should. I give credit to Chris Christie for telling the people the truth. I know he won’t be nominated, but it’s good to listen to him. He just needs to stay there and keep going.
Back in the day, we'd joke about people getting their degrees or driver's licenses from Montgomery Ward. Since that store "died" decades ago, might I suggest that perhaps his attorneys received their law degrees from eBay or Amazon?
More like Family Dollar.
C’mon, no need to insult Family Dollar. Everything they sell is of better quality and of more value than any of the law degrees tfg’s attorneys have received. 😉
🤣🤣🤠🤣
I was thinking the failed tRump U!
How long was that Ivy League university in business before they finally found that it was just another way for Trump to rip people off? I'm not sure how all of that happened? I may have known at point, but he's done so many bad things, it's hard to keep track anymore.
I sometimes wonder if they don't write these briefs purposefully full of holes. Might it be a way to placate T while ensuring they don't lose their licenses?
Walmart.
I still have an old washing machine from Montgomery Ward. Does that count? Can I practice law?
As long as you still have your receipt, that might work. You'll need to decide what kind of diploma (what kind of law degree you want to be typed in, along with your name,
Oh, one thing might make it harder is back in those days, receipts didn't show the item by name, so the could be a problem.
Good luck with getting this done. Seems to me that based on the EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT LAW, and their years of experience, Trump never fails to pick the cream of the crop. Of course, they're too stupid to think he'll pay them, so they should consider themselves as volunteers.
He always whines about being as poor as a church mouse, but now he wants to buy Greenland so he can "own" the people and be their devoted King.
Strangely enough, about 20 years ago, I was a "temp" and was never able to make it permanent, so I quit and went to paralegal school. I paid $5,000 for tuition and then there were books to buy, too. They promised that they'd help us with jobs once we graduated. I aced the courses, especially criminal law, and when this was over, their assistance consisted of newspaper clippings of want ads from papers throughout the local area. What a sham (or scam). I stopped by the public defender's office with my resume and asked if I could help them by working pro bono for six months or so, so I could get some good experience, and they said no, because I wasn't a real paralegal. That sucked.
In retrospect, I would have saved all that money by going to Montgomery Ward School of Law, or the one at Sears. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that the K-mart here also had a law school for a short while until they had shut it down because some kind of scandal involving the Dean of Students and kick-backs. of some kind.
So, does your old washing machine work? Is it a wringer kind with four legs, and a rubber hose attached? That's what my mother used when I was young. I would help pull the items through the red and black rollers.
This has been the least stressful "chat" because we never used the name of Himself. No matter what, I still look forward to Joyce's daily news. It all makes sense and is truthful, which is such a relief.
Sometimes after reading these lawyers' 'briefs' and 'motions' I wonder if it was TFG doing the writing. After all, he has spend 50 years reading this kind of stuff. He should have pick up a few things.
If so, then he should be sanctioned for practicing law without a license.
I've had the same thoughts.
I was actually wondering about that, because people never exposed to the law wouldn't know half the things he has said or done.
I've always said that he's not as stupid as he appears. Deranged, yes. Evil, yes. Shady and sneaky, yes. Obsessed with Putin and our other adversarial leaders, definitely. I only took one semester of psychology, so I can't offer any thoughts about his mental issues, but based on what I've seen I think he's purposely acting weird so when he finally goes to court he can plead insanity, even though that's not a legal defense. He'll find SOME way to beat the system.
I don't think tfg knows how to act any other way. He is not stupid but he thinks everyone else is. He has no self control so he says stupid things that he thinks no one else will notice or understand.
I agree.
I’m bowled over by the petition for certiorari, where someone wrote that the Presidential oath to “preserve, protect & defend the Constitution of the United States” doesn’t imply “supporting” the constitution, so he really never broke his oath. The Colorado District Court put another fat wriggly worm on the hook, that the President isn’t an “officer” of the Federal Government. The brief nattered on expanding on this bizarre idea, not realizing that’s a trap too. I doubt that a middle school debate club would come up with intellectual chum like that. I’m sure that’s pure tfg.
A more charitable interpretation is that Trump's attorneys are milking him dry - screwing him just like he has screwed so many contractors - they don't mind one bit if he loses and gores to prison while they take millions off of him.
Lawyering for dummies $14.99 at amazon
Totally agree with you about Christie, he SHOULD get the nom if you ask me!
Christie is no better. He is a criminal too. He ran New Jersey like we all complain about TFG. Always hiring for loyalty versus competence. Using extortion to gain compliance. He shut the state down on a budget dispute over a holiday weekend and then went to a state beach, which was closed to all, for a family day. Same suit, just a different color. There are no good republicans. They are autocrats or fellow travelers.
Christie is a blatant hypocrite, for sure. Bridgegate revealed his malevolence.
Agree with you about Christie, but I could deal with him over Trump. Only one telling the truth about Trump and won’t pardon him.
Agree with both of you on Christie!!!
Definitely!!!
I hope you're joking.
I'm holding judgement on Christie. Let's see what he does after he drops out.
He will continue to eat.
LOL!!!
😂😂😂
🔥🔥🔥
He simply doesn’t learn from his mistakes.
No... NOT Funny or Hilarious For Even a split second.
I know! Anytime I read someone who says, "If it were anyone but him, the person would be in jail" I grit my teeth and wonder why he isn't in jail!
Agree including about Christie - in fact, I donate to his campaign purely to show support for his willingness to attack Trump during the GOP primaries.
I’m at the point with Trump that I loathe him so much and wish he could be stashed away in Gitmo so we can’t hear or see him. He can do his upcoming hearings in NY virtually then we still couldn’t hear or see him.
We were brainwashed by the nuns at Catholic school to never, EVER hate someone. (The Devil, of course, was the exception, but that doesn't count, since he's not a someone. I'd say he's a someTHING instead.) The sisters have moved on to The Big Convent in the Sky, and now I think it's okay to feel the same way you do, too.
I vote for Gitmo or Leavenworth, preferably Gitmo. Virtual hearings are possible, and the best thing about them is that should he decide to make a huge scene, spinning his head around while spitting out green split-pea soup, they can always "cut to a commercial." Just kidding about the commercial. That might not be constitutional.
A Nevada judge was literally attacked in court by a defendant. Heroic efforts kept her from serious injury, but two people were hospitalized.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/04/us/las-vegas-judge-attacked/index.html
I remember seeing a court proceeding years ago where the defendant was sequestered in another room with the ability to see and hear his trial proceeding, but was not able to "violently participate."
Five years ago, I couldn't have imagined all of this violence and madness. Now, it's as if people are becoming numb or just don't care anymore. I don't think that this is what our founders and forefathers had in mind when they were working on The Constitution and the Bill of Rights, do you?
So now, we have a wanna-be dictator itching to have another chance to destroy our country, and another POTUS candidate who's completely clueless about the Civil War. What's that saying about not learning from the past means history will repeat itself? I sometimes draw a blank in the middle of a sentence, thanks to a concussion I suffered five years ago.
In fairness, my mother worked in court, (and I'm 71), and people were attacked all the time. That's what the Bailiffs were for.
There are just some individuals who either cannot help themselves, as violence is all they know; or get so enraged over what they feel is an injustice and attack on themselves. And society will always have some of those types.
This sounds awful to say, Citizen60, but it's good to know violence in the courtroom is not a new thing. Can't forget the Bailiffs, for sure!
Heck, Dianne, I've never had a concussion (that I know of) and sometimes draw a blank coming up with a word! Who doesnt have that happen?
I saw the attack. It was horrific and the poor judge was way down for the count. She and another court official were hospitalized. Defendant was so violent that it took 3 or 4 big men to finally subdue him. The whole thing was terrible.
Whatshiznamesgonefinally! I have or had one of those too - a long time ago.
Can you imagine tfg taking a flying leap (or trying to) over the judges desk. lol What a picture. :)
Oh, Lordy, Sherry...now I can't unsee it!
Fellow Catholic school grad here. Ah yes I remember being admonished for saying the word hate in school. A friend of mine, also a Catholic school grad, once told me I should never say I hate anyone when I happened to say how much I hated the someTHING (so spot on) in front of her. Her feelings about hating the someTHING have changed and she openly agrees that hating tfg is ok.
Too funny on cutting to a commercial.
Since one of his places of residence is New York State. And they have at least 3 of the worst prisons in the United States. He should serve out his prison sentence in Rikers, Attica, or Sing Sing.
Why are US prisons so genuinely horrible? Punishment is the deprivation of liberty, not being animals in a cage so long that they become degenerates. Why do we do that?
Because they state run and has insufficient funding or they are run by a contractor that is more concerned with their profits than running a safe prison.
I think it should be Rikers Island. It's what he deserves.
Rikers is too nice. Gitmo where he can sweep sand.
An island off Tasmania without enough food but plenty of ammunition.
Maybe he would use that ammo to keep warm 😹.
I want a catastrophic stroke, heart attack, or aneurism to occur NOW.
An aneurysm that makes his head explode on stage would be fitting 😹
Him and every insurrection congresscritter. All to gitmo.
You are too kind. . .
One question: Isn't there greater legal nuance w/r/t a stay? For example, this afternoon a previous counsel to Trump said on CNN (one of the few moments I've listened recently) that there are different types of stays - one that puts the entire matter on hold and does not allow any filings and another type that allows for legal filings and continued submittal of discovery but simply places the trial and rulings on hold.
We all know Trump's strategy: delay, delay, delay. And when he loses his appeal and then receives discovery with just weeks before trial, he also wants to claim (actually, *whine*), "Your Honor, Deranged Jack Smith is being very mean and not giving us enough time to defend (a/k/a POST ON LIAIR'S SOCIAL) against the reams of evidence proving my guilt!"
Too accurate sir, one cannot make this s*it up! But we can continue our hearty belly laughs at the absurdity that is D. Trump!!
Is it just me, or do others feel like he'd be able to get a heck of a lot more productive case-related things taken care of, if he didn't spend 26 hours a day whining, complaining, demanding, asking, insisting, or suggesting one thing or another?
Jim Jones could have been productive, too, but it takes a lot of energy to keep control over the cult. My question is, when does he pass around the koolaid?
I don't doubt he has his minions working on the "perfect" koolaid recipe.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Delay! Delay! Delay! Poor Mr. Trump. I recall at the beginning of all these lawsuits that his lawyers needed more time because there was just too much evidence to plow through.
My dad always said “ You can’t do business with Hitler”!
Joyce. I know your class was a success. So excited for your students. I don’t know how you do it. Saw you in MSNBC too today. Do you sleep? Thanks for the explanation and clarity tonight.
Hell no, what time do you think she finishes and then gets up to feed the chicks
It is presumed that Mr. Smith had case law to support his position. Regardless, the gist of it is that, while the actual court proceedings/hearings calendar is in abeyance, the timetable(s) for filing paperwork remains in order to expedite proceedings once the appeal is settled. The opposing side has the option to wait-and-see, or, file their own responses, per schedule. If they do nothing, and lose the appeal, then they can whine to the court that the dog ate their homework, and beg for more time to comply.
Hmmmmm. This is blowing my mind.
Assuming you are not legally trained, versed in Pro Se litigation, etc., that is not surprising. tRump's side should be fined for filing a frivolous document. :-)
Please please please email on the White House form every day and plead with Biden to start a fireside chat. Get this going nationally.
My fondest remembrances of Biden's campaigns were watching the people in their cars in that shopping center parking lot in Delaware. Unfortunately, Trump changed everything before Biden was sworn into office.
Having Biden "visit" with us in our living rooms or family rooms might bring back some sense of "normalcy" (whatever that is these days). I'd rather find out what's going on now, or WILL be going on in the near future, by seeing and hearing that directly from Biden, whether or not his fireplace is working, than having it yelled and screamed at us, in between obnoxious commercials on TV.
If this concept doesn't work, maybe those who object to fireside chats can come up with some new ideas that will help make sure we're all on the same side, which is keeping our democracy, leaving our Constitution alone, preventing us from having leader who's already warning us of what his first day in office will be like if he wins the election in November, and letting us live our lives in peace.
As Joyce reminds us with each email, "We're in this together." If it weren't so late in the evening (or early in the morning), I might be able to remember the name of the group and their song that repeats the phrase, "United we stand, divided we fall . . . . . "
Brotherhood of Man💙 I love that song.
Thanks! I meant to google it but got side tracked.
I recently listened to Anderson Cooper's interview of President Biden for his podcast All There Is with Anderson Cooper. It's a podcast about grief. https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/a-presidents-grief/id1643163707?i=1000637662288&l=fr-CA
I was moved to tears listening to the President share his journey of losing his wife and daughter back in 1972 and then his son, Beau, a few years ago. It's a must listen. The President speaks from the heart. Great idea on him doing fireside chats!
Great idea. I just tried it. It takes a
minute and is so easy. Link: www.whitehouse.gov
Fireside chats? No. A goody chat will do nothing against tfg and his loud mouth. The Dems need a strong candidate and a fireside chat is too weak.
Good luck with that.
We have a strong candidate in Joe Biden. Wake up and smell the roses.
Biden needs to regain the narrative. He is not the best at PR but it’s all we have. And he doesn’t fit my ideal but it’s all we have and we must stay united.
I agree Bill. We must stay united but chats worked back in the days before technology and social media. Young voters will not be impressed by chats and I myself, being 69, find the thought boring. Getting out in public, live energetic communication is needed. If anything, fireside chats shows more of the age dilemma.
Maybe. But it would have a modern twist to it not an elderly man sitting by the fireplace.
Put pithy portions of it on TikTok.
I understand your interest in fireside chats but what Susan just said about getting out an talking makes more marketing sense now. Getting out will block the “basement” line.
Biden is pathetic live. Have you seen him?
A short presentation of good things done during the week to protect the nation would be a good counter to TFG's "loud mouth". A few minutes out of a listener's week isn't too much to ask.
FYI: A "strong candidate" is only as strong as you help to make him. Trump is a "strong candidate", made strong not by his "loud mouth", but by those people who helped to make it so. I'd much rather help a "strong candidate" that promotes democracy, rather than a candidate who wants to tear it apart. The authoritarian FG is the latter.
I did that on your behalf, Bill, 2 days ago!
Ok - can you please provide a more detailed description of how to actually do that? URLs, headings, menu selections etc? Thanks.
Can't he just eat the fatal hamberder and stroke out in front of the droolers? You know, make America Really Great Again?
That would certainly cheer ME up! I get melancholy each Christmas season, and haven't been able to shake it yet, so I apologize for sounding cynical. It definitely would make me smile from ear to ear, watching such a dramatic, happy ending to someone so deserving of that kind of fate. Unfortunately, there are 70 or so million MAGAs would continue "the mission" without him. They were brainwashed even before he was elected, and the cult has grown not just in size, but in hostility and deadly threats,
I don't get to see my therapist until next month (she had surgery), so I need to hear or read some GOOD STUFF about these legal proceedings --- or lack thereof --- before I pull my hair out.
Off topic a little, what's up with all the sarcasm, foul language, and nastiness on tonight's forum? It has nothing to do with what Joyce has written, and for the most part, people have been quite civil. I'm still new to this forum, so am I missing something?
We HAVE to be in together, because there is no other option.
We are tired, frustrated, and in traumatic situations. It actually serves us better than to be civil and polite all the time. Frankly i am okay with it.
I feel the same way. Just hearing his name brings out the worst in me. It didn't occur to me that ALL OF US are bummed out, but for the time being, at different levels (percentages?). Between now and November 4th, those levels are going to get a whole lot higher. Don't you agree?
We have been being gaslite by him and his ilk for years. We are in way deep and have had to listen to him for years before his 2011 announcement considering a presidential run...think birther BS. We are seriously bummed and our cortisol is through the roof. It is not healthy but our very survival is being threated. I was eating dinner last night at a bar and an older man said, "i feel like the wars going on are distractions like the 70s." I cant disagree with that.
I, too, am way beyond frustration regarding that slob. I thought I was just too sensitive or over-reacting, when in reality, I'm more sadistic and sarcastic than a woman my age ought to be. DJT has brought out the WORST in me, for sure. I worked with the military from the late 60's through most of the 70's, and lost many friends, classmates, and a few co-workers (enlisted and one major) during that time due to what we called "Vietnam."
Now, we are facing God knows how many wars around the world, with the number going up, not down. I remember people building fallout shelters. I remember air-raid drills in school when we'd go out into the hallways, crouch down, face the wall and cover our heads with our arms, That was the late 50's when the USSR had Kruschev, who was just as bad as Trump's BFF Putin is today.
I used to be angry about the horror we're facing and the prospect of what Adolph Trump has up his grubby sleeves if he gets elected. The thought of what he's promising to do quite frankly SCARES THE HELL OUT OF ME. I worry about where I'll be when/if the Big Guy (literally) in N. Korea makes good on his promise to nuke us. Will I be safe at home? Driving to the store? Sound asleep? Having surgery? (I'm having surgery in the not-to-distant future,) So much to worry about, so now I understand --- and definitely apologize --- for not being able to figure out what's going on.
I love Civil Discourse, and look forward to every "chapter" that Joyce sends to us. I have no idea how she finds time to think, or sleep, but she hangs in there without whining, and certainly gets no complaints from us.
I'm running out of room, and didn't realize how early/or late it is, depending on where you are. I can hear some of the early risers already, who are warming up their cars before heading to work. Makes me wonder how many of them are also bummed out, trying to survive. From what I gather from the skuttlebutt I hear from the local kids, most have parents who are Trumpublicans, A few of those who don't have kids let their side of the aisle be known by having old, worn-out Trump/Pence bumper stickers.
Thank you for my civics lesson. This stuff is coming more into focus now.
Big hug....feel you.
As Tiggr said - sending a hug - because what else can we do at this point? (other than VOTE - write emails & letters etc). I'm guessing most of us who read Joyce are having the same thoughts you are.
Like you said she hangs in there - we have to do the same. Frankly spouting off here or at LFAA helps, right?
LOL!!
It is too obvious that not only is Trump seeking further delays, which is his norm, but now he is trying to squeeze money out of the government to alleviate the cost of his criminal behavior. Frankly, when all this is over and crybaby is finally in prison, I think the United States should file a suit against The Republican National Committee, The Republican Party and all its major donors for the amount of taxpayer money this whole fiasco has cost us - including the useless MAGA Republicans in the 118th Congress
Let’s begin now!
Excellent idea.
Courts have allowed all of it.
By the way, the President of Belarus just signed a new law preventing him from ever being charged. Trump style.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
You showed great restraint in not commenting on Alina Haba's recent interview, in which she says she didn't get hired because she's pretty, but it doesn't hurt. She can "fake being smart"! https://www.threads.net/search/?q=alina%20haba&serp_type=default
She’s already been fined, what - a million dollars? in Trump’s service. And disciplined on top of it for being a crappy lawyer. She is destined for Fox or OAN if Trump goes to jail, where her looks will help people forget that million-dollar hiccup and the fact that she lost the case for her high-profile client.
She can fake being smart but she can’t fake being stupid
Well, isn't SHE the humble one????? If I say anything else, the Internet will cease to exist!
Evening Joyce. Our fireside chat seems to be hitting the nerves of us all and wearing us down. This is the beginning of our 2024 presidential election and I’m trying to stay sane, not blame or declare futility at this juncture. I believe we are a unified body wanting a stable America that respects the rule of law. I believe in us. Tomorrow could bring some good news. And if not tomorrow the next day. We are in a marathon to save us from a catastrophic outcome. Patience may be our greatest strength. Hear Hear and thanks again for the truth as we navigate for the good of all of us 🇺🇸🗽🥁🫶🕯️🗳️
What worries me most is that the most brilliant legal minds today, like you and Neal Katyal and Andrew Weissmann and Barb McQuade, are giving trump's ineffective lawyers ideas regarding how to fight things. Thus, inadvertently, the legal battle is playing out in the media. Explaining to the public what is happening is different from giving the roadmap to trump's team. We really need to put trump away for his transgressions. Let's not help him stay out of prison, please.
The law is the law. I want Joyce, Neal, Barb, and Andrew to keep doing what their doing.
Not according to the judges Donald put on the bench. They just make crap up to please him.
While the Supreme Court considers whether Trump should be on state ballots as an insurrectionist — journalists should be asking him now: if you lose in November 2024, will you respect the election results???
I’ll answer for him: “No!”
Seems to me that the ONLY thing he respects is The Almighty Dollar.
And that AWFUL orange filter he makes all media outlets use when recording him, to retain his carotene, er.....I mean HEALTHFUL glow, give the guy some credit!! 😂🤣
He should watch some of those late-night "info-mercials" on TV where they show the before-and-after pictures of the ladies who looked like regular people like me (who's too uncoordinated to wear make-up anymore) where they spray-paint their faces and miraculously look amazing. What amazes me is that once their paint has dried, not only does their skin look nice, but suddenly their hair is shinier, their teeth are whiter, and their double-chins aren't as obvious.
I'm surprised that Trump hasn't ordered his own kit, or had someone order it for him to use. Then he could have the healthy glow we can only dream about.
Stunt doubles?
Haven’t they already asked him that? Evasion is a denied nation.
I saw him asked this question in a Sean Hannity interview. His answer? “There will be a peaceful TRANSFER of power in 2025 ( emphasis mine).
Or else a violent NON-TRANSFER of power in 2025
He has already said he won’t. That is unless he wins.
You nailed very well on MSNBC tonight, Joyce. Good work as always.
I agree. What makes me smile, now that Joyce has introduced us to her chickens, is that each time I see her offering her wisdom and obvious knowledge of the subject matter, I can't help but picture her offering the pieces of bread to her sweet animal friends.
That's what a REAL person is like. Nothing phony about someone who's that down to earth! MSNBC viewers are blessed.
As we all are.
I know I say this all the time in your comments Joyce, but I can't fucking stand him and wish he was already locked up pending trial at the very least. Our country is trash and Merrick Garland is a weak and feckless waste of space. I bet he lied to Biden during their meetings and now Biden is stuck with him.
I will grant you that venting can be cathartic. That first sentence is understandable... but, your last two are off-the-rails nonfactual mudslinging... and am not sure how they are germane to the post topic.
I get to be angry. It's been three years and nothing has happened. They already punished Bolsonaro in Brazil. Our system is corrupt as hell.
Carrie, at least give Merrick Garland credit for naming Jack Smith to prosecute Trump.
He waited too damn long.
I disagree. Jan 6th put us in uncharted waters. Garland went for the low hanging fruit (participants in Jan 6th), got convictions which set precedence, flipped some defendants, and built a case against the bigger fish. I am not an attorney, still it seems to me to make sense. And I have seen it explained this way from people who are attorneys whom I trust.
Like Biden, Garland gets a bad rap. Undeservedly so.
Again, he did nothing meaningful for an entire YEAR.
Again Carrie, I disagree. We do not know what Garland was doing behind the scenes, away from public view. Unless you have special knowledge about Garlands actions/inactions you cannot say that he did nothing for a year.
You are of course entitled to your opinion and entitled to blow off steam by stating it. Yay freedom of speech.
I just don’t see how it contributes to a blue victory in 2024. It is like complaining that Biden is old. Yes he is. And the earth is round. Moving on. Biden is also our candidate and we are going to support him. We have to keep our eyes on the prize (blue tidal wave up and down the ballot in 2024).
That first year Garland was legally dismantling trump's army of well-armed proud brown shirts, flipping the traitors who then provided the air tight evidence that Jack Smith now can use to convict trump. "When you strike at a king, you must kill him." (Ralph Waldo Emerson.)
I'm voting for Biden despite the fact that he made a huge mistake by giving Bibi weapons and money to kill Palestinian civilians and reporters. He needs to get his act together because executive branch appointees and campaign staffers are quitting in too high of numbers. His Silent Generation white cishet brain has to pivot to the electorate that gave him the WH which is younger voters, BIPOC folks and LGBTQ people like me (lesbian).
Have you ever heard of "when you strike the king, you must kill him"??
He should have been locked up pending trial already yet here we are.
Jack Smith deserves much more than that.
I like Jack Smith. He started out a little slower than I thought he would, but now I have to give him credit for all that he did behind the scenes, because when he announced the indictments, it was a really well-received surprise and a relief! The judges are the ones that concern me now, because he'll take two steps forward, only to be told to take one backward, etc., etc.
I believe he is a wonderful chess player and knows the federal court system better than anyone on the scene. And he knows it from a Judge’s perspective. The Federal Court system is a long game. How many times has Trump near versus settling, which is not a win. Nor are individual rulings that seem to favor him in Palm Beach or jury. Whether a bench trial or a jury trial he loses big in every time I know except stormy Daniel’s lawsuit which I don’t understand and don’t really care about
It's taking too damn long and meanwhile there are bomb and other threats and swatting of people who have dared to challenge him. Every day our country gets more dangerous because of the entire MAGA GOP.
Yes it is, and we’d all like to see hi stroke our on live TV with his shitter vein just popping. But if you read any of the motions — pro se litigants and law students are more direct, concise and know/learned how to cite law and cases… sometimes from the defense lawyers own work… it’s not a fast track but it is a mighty one
Mike, while most of this is in response to what you wrote, it’s also for Carrie. Ever since The Vulture descended from his dead tree in Trump Tower, the world has almost quit rotating on its normal axis. This country has gone through a drubbing and most of us have some form of PTSD from it. That said, we have got to keep the faith and VOTE! No excuses allowed.
Also, never forget, a lot of this mess may end up in front of that alleged “Supreme” Court and everything has to be just so because there is nothing certain coming from that quarter. Yes, we would all like to see the orange one locked up with the key thrown into the Grand Canyon and lodged under a boulder but that is not the case right now. We are all in this together, as Joyce says but blaming Merrick Garland isn’t going to help anyone lock turd bucket up any earlier. If we lose faith in our institutions, we’re doing just as the Orange Gasbag wants us to do. That certainly won’t help anything.
Carrie, if you want to vent and if you don’t do so already, I’m going to suggest you check out Jeff Tiedrich’s Substack. You probably don’t have to pay just to read it but most days the comment section is worth the price of the subscription.
Retired Tx lawyer here and being familiar with the 5th Circuit I can say that the judges were some of the most conservative in the country LONG before Trump made any judicial appointments to that appellate court. And although I share Carrie’s frustration about the slow pace of the federal cases against Trump, anyone familiar with federal criminal litigation has to recognize that it usually takes one or two years to muddle through to the trial stage. Why? Our Constitution requires that a criminal defendant be accorded due process of law, which includes the right to appeal certain pre-trial matters. Otherwise, the Special Counsel’s work will be for naught because higher appellate courts may reverse the case on appeal. Then that’s a real pickle.
Brava Laura for the sane-sage note of reality here. It truly is reality therapy to be reminded that these cases take years - and we are pushing for months.
Agreed
Here is a link to one of Jeff’s recent posts
The name of his SubStack is “Everyone is entitled to my own opinion”.
https://open.substack.com/pub/jefftiedrich/p/this-year-in-stupid-2023-part-2?r=a7p13&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Looking forward to Carrie in the Jeff T. community
Me too. Jeff rocks!
Charlie;
Primal Scream Therapy no longer works for me but Jeff Tiedrich definitely does!
But the judges Donald put on the bench are lawless pieces of garbage who do not care about precedent or settled law and just make shit up to please the MAGA cause. See the 5th circuit for example.
And b/c so many of us are feeling more and more hopeless about our future. I move from anger to despair and back again. Can no one shut 45 up? It’s nothing but one court filing after another, each one eroding American democracy. Please make it stop!
I thank God every day that we're still able to have the freedoms we do have, because I'm scared that after November 4th, life as we know it will be unrecognizable.
I am about be able to retire. Im getting my ducks in a row. College professors in my field will be hammered. We already are having programs cut. I have severe PTSD from the years of crazy.
Also, I've stopped watching MSNBC and listening to political podcasts because nothing that is said on them means anything when these criminals aren't held accountable. All they exist for is to fill time and generate revenue for the white cishet male corporate MAGA GOP hacks that run these outlets.
And none of the financiers or GOP electeds or others who were the ringleaders of the insurrection have been charged with crimes. Like what the fuck? This is why I think Merrick Garland is a weak piece of trash.
I can't exactly "like" what you're saying because I don't agree with all of it (some, though), but I am really glad you're saying it!
Jack Smith is playing chess, Trump is playing checkers. Stormy Daniels' case is set for March 24, 2024 in New York (Trump was indicted so it's a criminal trial). It may be moved if the Washington DC trial set for March 4 needs more time. Trump allegedly paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 in hush money but the money came from the wrong souce (I may not have this correct).
I think she had to lay his lawyers fees for something the slithery lawyer who is Ian prison did
Agree about Garland. Why haven’t Congressmen who aided and abetted been indicted? What about Jared’s 2 billion? Seems like ‘fear and favor’ rules.
For someone who's the Attorney General, he keeps a low profile. I'm sure there's a good reason for that, so hopefully it's a GOOD reason that will have a good outcome.
Posting again, Carrie in hopes you see the link and join the community.
Here is a link to one of Jeff’s recent posts
The name of his SubStack is “Everyone is entitled to my own opinion”.
https://open.substack.com/pub/jefftiedrich/p/this-year-in-stupid-2023-part-2?r=a7p13&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
How do y'all feel about the use of profanity here on a Substack called "Civil" Discourse? Personally, I don't think it's appropriate. Most of us here are articulate enough to make a point in a respectful and civil manner.
I don't mind it. Profane words are good old English words and mightily expressive.
Agreed.
There's a platform for that. X welcomes offensive language.
Sorry...but the moment he came down the elevator the profanity began. We all knew how f*ck** we were if he won. We were correct. Profanity is the LEAST of our worries.
That escalator ride gave me nightmares and still is.
Agree that Elevator Guy is as profane as it gets. I choose to let that lie with him and his vile sycophant MAGAts. Public profanity is not a "worry", but it is offensive to many. This forum, titled "Civil Discourse", led by the brilliant and gracious Joyce Vance, is not the place to bring the f-bomb. There is a platform for that over on X. Thanks for the asterisks Tiggr.