Paul Rashkind goes to Guantanamo

I guess Julie Kay hasn't left yet. Her Justice Watch column today covers Paul Rashkind's representation of Guantanamo detainees.

Plus it details staff changes at the U.S. Attorney's office. Bob Senior is the new chief of criminal; David Weinstein is the new chief of public integrity and national security and Rick Del Toro is the new chief of narcotics.

Good luck to Julie Kay

The DBR's Julie Kay is moving on up.... to the National Law Journal. She'll still be covering this area, so if you have stories she still wants em...

Good luck Julie.

Judge Jordan and Jack Thompson

It's hard to keep up with all the Jack Thompson filings in the Judge Jordan case. The latest is that he tried to get Jordan off the case so that he could name him as a defendant. No go -- from Game Politics:

In an order issued late yesterday, Judge Jordan wrote:

In my opinion, the content of the numerous filings submitted by Mr. Thompson
indicate that he has difficulty separating the legal issues in this case from
broader social issues on which he has strongly-held beliefs. Mr. Thompson
unfortunately appears to believe that every act taken against him, and any
judicial ruling adverse to him, are part of a vast conspiracy designed to
silence him and destroy him.

Judge Jordan has scheduled a hearing for October 9th at 9:30 AM on motions by the defendants (the Florida Bar and Judge Dava Tunis, the referee in Thompson’s Bar disciplinary trial) to dismiss the case.

The judge will also hear from Thompson on a motion regarding the “show cause” order issued from the bench following Thompson’s inclusion of gay porn in a docket filing.

And if you can't get enough of this craziness, here's what happened in Thompson's other lawsuit in front of Judge Huck.

Whew.

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.

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.

First Monday is here