Thursday, October 04, 2007

Hugo Black funeral

The U.S. Attorney's Office asked me to post this information regarding the funeral arrangements for Hugo Black:

A memorial service for Hugo L. Black III will be held at Plymouth Congregational Church on Sunday, October 7, beginning at 2:00 p.m. A reception will follow in Davis Hall, also located on Plymouth's campus.

Plymouth Congregational Church
3400 Devon Road
Coconut Grove
www.plymouthmiami.com

There are some very nice comments about Hugo here.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Opening statements in Liberty City 7 case

Longtime prosecutor Richard Gregorie opened for the government. According to the Herald:

''These defendants wanted to wage a jihad against the United States,'' Gregorie said. ''They tell us so in unique detail,'' he said, citing wiretaps, videotapes and other FBI surveillances.
''This agreement is clear, ladies and gentlemen,'' he said. ``It's taped recorded and you are there.''


Ana Jhones for the lead defendant countered (from the AP):

Batiste attorney Ana M. Jhones countered that the purported plot was driven mainly by two paid FBI informants, including one known as Mohammed who posed as a representative of al-Qaida. She said Batiste's group was coerced into going along with the violent plan by "this great con man," who was paid about $80,000 by the FBI.
"This case is about an orchestrated event, a play," Jhones said. "These two informants knew how to work the system. They wrote the script."

***
"He never had any intent to do any of these things the government is accusing him of. He never had the ability," Jhones said. "Narseal Batiste was talking the talk and walking the walk."

And Rod Vereen for defendant Stanley Phanor (from the Sun-Sentinel):

"[Vereen] said the only possible outcome for his client should be a not guilty vote. 'This is a case where nonsense meets common sense,' Vereen said.

No bond for the Joe Cool defendants


So ruled Magistrate Judge William Turnoff.

Press coverage here, here, and here.

Apparently the feds have more evidence -- like shell casings, blow gun darts, and knives. Plus it looks like they were headed to Cuba, where they couldn't be extradited to the U.S.

In this courtroom sketch, Kirby Logan Archer, 35, of Strawberry, Ark., left, and Guillermo Zarabozo, 19, of Hialeah, Fla., right, appear in federal court in Miami Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007. (AP Photo/Shirley Henderson)

News and Notes


1. More on the tragic death of Hugo Black III here from Julie Kay. There are some really nice comments in this post about Hugo. Feel free to add your memories of him. That's a picture of Hugo to the left.

2. We posted earlier about Jack Thompson upsetting Judge Jordan. Thompson has filed at least 14 responses to Judge Jordan's order. In one, he tells U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta to investigate Norm Kent: “You have no choice but to initiate a criminal investigation into this individual and if you do not so proceed by Wednesday, October 3, 2007 at 5:00 p.m., I shall proceed to secure a federal court order to compel you to do so.” Judge Jordan issued another order on Monday (posted here, courtesy of GamePolitics), saying that Thompson does not have “a free reign to unnecessarily flood the docket in this case with a series of motions…that have no bearing on the issues in dispute in this case.” The Judge added that while Thompson “may have think this case is a war with the world regarding the state of moral standards, it is not.” The court does not have “jurisdiction over moral standards.” Stay tuned.... UPDATE -- GamePolitics has all the goods here, including Thompson's most recent response.
3. The Supreme Court hears argument today in two big sentencing cases -- Gall and Kimbrough. These cases are being watched closely by prosecutors, defense lawyers, and judges because they will affect judge's discretion at sentencing. Early prediction -- defense wins on both cases, which will give district judges the full range of discretion they should have at sentencing. Here's an article discussing both cases, and you can always get more info at the best Supreme Court website -- scotusblog.com.