We will write a thorough New Year's post, including our toppling of the REGJB Fantasy Football's goliath #1 seed from our #4 seed spot last week in the semi-finals, only to lose in the finals to someone with the name of Johnny's Sac. A very unsatisfying second place.
For now, as we struggle to meet an appellate deadline, we make this simple plea: STOP sending "Happy New Year" texts. We don't need it. No one does. It is annoying spam. If you have a personal New Year's message or wish for us, convey it. But if you're sitting around with nothing to do on a Monday and cannot think of anything else but to go to your phone's contacts and spam everyone with a HNY text with those insipid exploding fireworks, then we have 14,500 words that urgently need to be edited down to 13,000 by the end of today.
And a word about appellate court deadlines. Just stop with the orders gratuitously stating that "workload is not a reason for an extension." What other reason do we need an extension for other than judges have lined us up for four trials back to back to back to back since early September. What do you want us to say? "We could not meet the deadline because umm... we spent a whole lot of time creating span text lists on our phone so we could be the first to spam all of our contacts Happy Halloween and Happy Thanksgiving...?"
We need more time because we are working our ass off and if that's a problem then so be it. Instead of threatening over worked lawyers, how about re-examining the unpreserved error rule that results in thousands of defendants serving prison sentences when their trial had inadmissible evidence but their trial lawyer was too dense to object.
And by the way, if you are one of those ignoramus trial lawyers who do not object "because I don't want to draw attention to it" try reading some of the hundreds of appellate opinions where the conviction was affirmed despite loads of prejudicial and inadmissible evidence was used because the attorney did not object. The evidence is in. The prosecution is going to use it. DO YOUR FREAKING JOB AND OBJECT!
It's the first day of the new year and we are already in a sour mood.