SLIP AND FALL

We are sad to report that the attorney general of the United States (Eric Holder) has slipped and hit his head.

After sustaining said injury to his cerebellum, he wrote this:

“The Department of Justice’s responsibility is not just to win cases,(Rumpole asks: since when?) but to do justice. (ha!) Along with the increased training for prosecutors we have already instituted, these new guidelines will ensure that we strive to meet that standard every day and in every case.

and this....

There are times when providing discovery broader than that required even by current Department policy serves the interests of justice. Providing broad and early discovery often promotes the truth-seeking mission of the Department and fosters a speedy resolution of a case. On the other hand, there are times when countervailing considerations counsel against broad and early disclosure. For these reasons, the discovery guidance is intended to assure that prosecutors make considered decisions about whether to disclose information beyond the requirements of law and policy and when to disclose it.

Let us translate- "Things have gone too far. We've been caught prosecuting innocent people too many times recently. As part of a public relations campaign, we will loudly and repeatedly say that we are considering giving more discovery than the rules apply, but in the final analysis, don't do anything that could cause you to lose a case. Full Jenks material should still be given only after the appeal is denied. "

The full memorandums are here.

We'll believe it when we see it, some time around the First of Never.

Dick Cheney called this traitorous, and John Ashcroft just fainted dead away.

SPOTLIGHT ON: ZLOCH

The Daily Pulp is taking a close look at Judge Zloch's financial disclosure form in the wake of Attorney Loring Spolter's accusations that Zloch didn't file one. Bob Norman raises some legitimate questions here.

ZLOCH SAVES RUMPOLE?

UPDATE- WE WENT 10-6 on picking all games yesterday. Assuming we wagered 100K a game, we're up $340,000.00 for the day. (1,000,000 win -600,000 -60,000 (vig) )

Courtesy of the Daily Pulp, the title to the post links to Judge Zloch's extraordinary order suspending Attorney Loring Spolter from practice in the Southern District of Florida for 42 months, and imposing fines and attorneys fees of over $100,000.00.

We have no dog in that fight.

But this passage from the order caught our wizened eye:

Mr. Spolter has the absolute right to

criticize a judge, but what he does not have the right to do is to file pleadings in Federal court for an improper purpose and in bad faith.

Our response is: Really? All this time we've been ducking bar complaints and sanctions for running this blog and now we have a Federal Judge in writing saying it's ok for us to criticize a Judge- a Federal Judge no less?

We want to see the appellate opinion on this, no disrespect meant to Judge Zloch (although apparently we can do that if we want), but.....we just think we need a firmer foundation upon which to rest our decision to reveal our identity.

Until then....