Lawyer and Reporter to testify

Judge Martinez is requiring a lawyer and a reporter to testify (over their objections and over the objection of the defense) in a criminal fraud trial. The DBR article by Julie Kay is available for free here.

Anything going on?

The District seems awfully quiet. There are a couple trials going on, but nothing is jumping off the pages... Is it Holiday shut-down time already?

For your local election coverage, check out Rumpole. (Federal and State appellate lawyer Marisa Tinkler Mendez won a contested election -- congratulations).

For an interesting story about a bond hearing in front of Judge Seltzer, check out Vanessa Blum's article here.

Also, former AUSA Barbara Lagoa was sworn-in last Friday at the 3rd DCA. It was a beautiful investiture with Judge Huck (her father-in-law) swearing her in. Many Federal Judges and prosecutors (including Alex Acosta and former U.S. Attorneys Guy Lewis and Marcos Jiminez) were in attendance. Congrats to Judge Lagoa.

E-file or else!

Julie Kay writes today about the new e-filing system and how less than 60% of lawyers have signed up. The Chief is angry, issuing an order saying that starting today, if lawyers submit filings by paper, they will have to appear before him personally to respond to an order to show case why they failed to file electronically. Yikes!

Mr. Abramoff goes to Washington

The government really really wants Jack Abramoff close to Washington, D.C.

Ann Coulter

From CNN.com:

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) -- Conservative columnist Ann Coulter has refused to cooperate in an investigation into whether she voted in the wrong precinct, so the case will probably be turned over to prosecutors, Palm Beach County's elections chief said Wednesday.
Elections Supervisor Arthur Anderson said his office has been looking into the matter for nearly nine months, and he would turn over the case to the state attorney's office by Friday.
Coulter's attorney did not immediately return a call Wednesday. Nor did her publicist at her publisher, Crown Publishing.

Knowingly voting in the wrong precinct is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Anderson's office received a complaint in February that Coulter voted in the wrong precinct during a February 7 Palm Beach town council election.
Anderson said a letter was sent to Coulter on March 27 requesting that she clarify her address for the voting records "or face the possibility of her voter registration being rescinded." Three more letters were sent to Coulter and her attorney, but she has yet to respond with the information requested, Anderson said.
In July, Anderson said, he received a letter from Coulter's attorney, Marcos Daniel Jimenez D'Clouet. The letter said the attorney would only discuss the matter in person or by telephone because, he complained, Anderson had given details to the media. Anderson said the matter had to be discussed in writing.
The right-wing commentator also authored a book that said some September 11 widows were "enjoying their husbands' deaths."

Looks like our former U.S. Attorney and previous guest-blogger will be representing her...