Recreational drug use is a winner on election day (UPDATED WITH SAD NEWS)

 Lots of controversy still swirling... but one thing both sides agree on -- recreational drugs should be legalized.  Here's an article on BuzzFeed, titled: "The Real Winner of the Election? Drugs."

In New Jersey, Arizona, Montana, and South Dakota, residents voted to legalize recreational cannabis.

Mississippi and South Dakota voted to legalize the medical use of cannabis in-state. And, for the first time in US history, Oregon decriminalized hard drugs, like cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, and methamphetamine. The state also voted to legalize psychedelic mushrooms.

This is all to say that — despite the anxiety of not yet knowing who's been elected president by Wednesday — the country took historic and progressive steps in destigmatizing drug use and drug-related offenses.

 

UPDATE -- some very sad news -- Pat Trese has passed away.  He was only 50 and a really nice guy.  I just met him last week during a two-day zoom hearing in federal court.  Rumpole has more at his blog.  Awful news.  2020...

FOR THE DEFENSE, EPISODE 2 ROY BLACK DISCUSSES HIS DEFENSE OF LUIS ALVAREZ

Happy Election Day!  One of the big issues in this election is criminal justice and especially racial justice.  George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tamir Rice, and so on.  Back in the early 80s, Miami was going through a similar time of racial tension. 

This episode of the podcast will take us back to that time and examine a case where Roy Black represented a Hispanic police officer, Luis Alvarez, who was charged with the killing of a young Black man, Nevell Johnson.  

This episode is available now on all podcast platforms including Apple, Spotify and Google.

I think you'll enjoy hearing from famed criminal defense lawyer Roy Black (who has represented William Kennedy Smith, Rush Limbaugh, Helio Castroneves, and Marv Albert just to name a few).  This was the case that thrust Roy into the national spotlight, and he didn't disappoint.  Check it out!

And a big thanks to those of you who listened to the premiere episode last week with Donna Rotunno, the lawyer that represented Harvey Weinstein (which is still available on Apple, Spotify, and Google). 

As the kids say, please like and subscribe to the podcast! It would really help me to get the word out!  THANK YOU!

Of course there's already a problem in Miami with the election

 The Feds are investigating what's going on with piles of ballots sitting at post offices in Miami.  The Herald is covering it here:

Two days after inspectors found dozens of undelivered ballots sitting in a post office in South Miami-Dade County, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General is preparing to sweep other mail facilities in Miami-Dade for ballots that haven’t reached their destination ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Scott Pierce, the special agent in charge for the USPS Inspector General’s Southern Area Field Office, confirmed to the Miami Herald on Sunday afternoon that special agents “will be busy over the next couple of days conducting several station visits” at mail distribution centers in Miami-Dade.

Pierce wouldn’t disclose which locations or how many would be searched.

“Our investigation continues and, at this time, we aren’t releasing any additional statements,” he said.

On Friday night, agents discovered 48 ballots in the Princeton post office near Homestead after State Rep. Kionne McGhee tweeted a video that showed a backlog of undelivered mail piling up at the facility. McGhee said the video was shared with him anonymously by a concerned USPS employee.

Ugh, this is crazy to me.  All of us really need this election to be over already.  And with stuff like this going on, I'm concerned that we won't have an answer Tuesday night.  Fingers crossed. 

A day off to vote

What a cool concept from Adam Rabin.  He explains it on his FB page:

A Day Off to Vote is set up to encourage law firms, professional practices, and businesses of all types to support their employees with time off to vote on or before Election Day.

Some firms and businesses are accommodating their employees by giving them the whole day off on Election Day so their employees can volunteer as poll workers or in other ways. Others are giving their employees an extra hour or two to cast their ballots in person or drop off their mail ballots to an approved drop box.

As of this week, we have 58 firms and businesses participating. We also had our first commercial real estate brokerage and management firm, our first statewide law firm, and our first law firms in Miami-Dade and Broward counties join the cause.

The Daily Business Review covers it here.

Zoom hearings... so much fun.