SAD

  By now word has spread through the Miami legal community that a longtime and well known law professor at FIU has been relieved of his position pending a review by FIU of allegations by a law student that he inappropriately displayed a picture or pictures of an animal with its genitalia exposed. The Herald ran an article and we allowed comments about it in the prior post. 

We do not need to pile on - especially since there has been no determination of guilt- only an allegation. Someone’s reputation is at stake and we take that seriously. We will be especially strict with the comments  so kindly act accordingly. We get it is an issue. We just have to thread a needle here. 

Oy. Or as we say in Miami - ay dios mio. 

Meanwhile DOM has all the news about the state of Florida giving Judge Williams the middle finger and not enforcing or respecting her injunction to stop State law enforcement officers from arresting immigrants.  We wouldn’t mess with Judge Williams  if we were you. 

Check it out here  

https://sdfla.blogspot.com/

A STANDING OVATION

 A standing O is not newsworthy unless it occurs in the Supreme Court and all 9 justices join in. 

That was the scene on Monday as assistant solicitor general Edwin S Kneedler presented his 160th argument on behalf of the United States.  After he finished CJ Roberts called him back to the podium to recognize his achievement and note that it was Kneedler’s last argument. From The NY Times: 

You have just presented your 160th argument before this court, and I understand it is intended to be your last,” the chief justice told the lawyer, Edwin S. Kneedler, who is retiring as a deputy solicitor general. “That is the record for modern times.

…

Kannon Shanmugam, a veteran Supreme Court lawyer, said it was “one of the most electric moments I’ve ever seen in the courtroom.”

The tribute to Mr. Kneedler’s candor and integrity came against the backdrop of a different kind of courtroom behavior. In the early months of the second Trump administration, its lawyers have been accused of gamesmanship, dishonesty and defiance, and have been fired for providing frank answers to judges.Mr. Kneedler presented a different model, former colleagues said.“Ed is the embodiment of the government lawyer ideal — one whose duty of candor to the court and interest in doing justice, not just winning a case, always carried the day,” said Gregory G. Garre, who served as solicitor general under President George W. Bush

We won’t see a lawyer like him representing the United States again for several years sadly. In other news over 100 lawyers in the DOJ civil rights division have resigned rather than represent the division’s new mandate of making sure men don’t compete in women’s sports. Yes we are not making that up. The sections that enforce anti-discrimination laws and prosecute police brutality have been eviscerated.  But the anti trans section is fully staffed and working hard. 

Don’t believe us? Check this out 

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/28/politics/justice-department-civil-rights-division-resignations/index.html

And from the Washington Post: 

In one of her first acts, Dhillon changed the mission statements for many of division offices to align with Trump executive orders with titles such as “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” and “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias.”

ELECTION DAY EH?

 Tuesday  update  we were right - Carney won and will continue to be Canada's PM. 

In other news We seem to have lost all our Miami Heat fans  as the Cleveland Cavs who were up by as much as 60 nipped out a win at the end and CRUSHED your Miami Heat by ( wait for it ) 55 points- 138-83. Where are all the front running Miami Heat fans? Busy with other things we guess.  We had the Cavs minus 50 so we won our bet  hahahahaha.  ( with apologies to Judge Colodny who is a true Heat fan through good times and bad). 

It’s elections day…in 🇨🇦 Canada - our fearless neighbor to the north who refuses to back down to a bully. The last bastion of democracy in North America. 

Who do you want to win? PM Mark Carney- proudly Canada Strong and anti- he who must not be named; vs challenger Pierre Poilievre. 

Rumple predicts a resounding victory for the PM. 

Thoughts on Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders dropping to the fifth round? Good scouting or racism or just fear of the whole Sanders circus coming to town?

You got about two months to try cases before judges and prosecutors take their summer sabbatical. 

Problems at the SAO are not going away. We see the office openly mocked in court - comments about how they cannot be trusted just go unchallenged.  As we have always said: it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and about one minute to lose it. 

And speaking of Elections the Cardinals in Rome will conclave starting May 7 and will be under lock and key with no electronics until the leader says HABEMUS PAPAM  We have a pope. Every Cardinal under 80 may vote. And t includesCavs c Tony LaRussa and Albert Pujols (bad baseball joke). No truth to the rumors that even without electronics the Cardinals will have access to the finals of the Bachelor and be able to stream and catch up on White Lotus. 

US Secretary of  Defense Pete Hegseth  has a highly classified chat group about the conclave. Jesenia Gonzalez who sells hot dogs from a cart  outside the pentagon and is on the chat group says the Cardinals will take more than the two days they took in 2005 and 2013 as Pope Francis appointed a lot of cardinals in places that never had one - like Rwanda, Haiti and Myanmar 🇲🇲 so many Cardinals don’t know each other.  That Vatican happy hour this Thursday is a can’t miss event. 

Conclaves fascinate us  

Happy Monday. 

WITH THE FIRST PICK IN THE 2025 DRAFT...

 It's draft day. While the NY Mets are riding a 7-game wining streak (substantially enhancing our Draft Kings Account), and having swept two series at home this week, and starting the season 12-1 at home for the best start in Mets history, we turn our attention briefly to the NFL for draft weekend starting tonight. 

1 Titans - The consensus pick is Miami QB Cam Ward. 

2 Browns- Here is our first critique. The Browns- perhaps the worst drafting team in all of professional sports- and going to blow it again. They are going to pick Travis Hunter- the Heisman Award winning two-way CB/WR from Colorado. The Browns GM called Hunter the "Ohtani of Football" and Hunter will be a good-great player, but follow us on this.  The Browns just re-signed  Myles Garrett to an enormous contract. Penn State OLB Abdul Carter is perhaps the best pure football player in the draft. If the Browns were able to line up  Carter opposite Garrett, they would automatically have the best pass rush in the league for the next five years, and prevent teams from double-teaming Garrett. Drafting Carter would give the Browns the best player in the draft and exponentially expand the value of Garrett. But they will draft Hunter. 

3 Giants - They race to the podium and grab Carter. 

4 Cheaters - The consensus pick is OT Will Campbell from LSU. Having got their QB last year, now they need to protect him. But why not Ashton Jeanty, RB from Boise State? Nothing opens up the passing game then a generational talent at RB. Jeanty would be our pick- there's plenty of O linemen in rounds 2-7. 

5. Jax Jags-  Hard to see Jeanty falling past the Jags for the reasons above. If the Cheaters grab him, then Jax takes Campbell. 

6 Raiders- No one is sadder about losing Jeanty then new Raiders coach Pete Carrol. He loves building a team with a RB. Don't discount Vegas trading up with the Cheaters. If not, then consensus pick is OT Armand Membou...but Rumpole says Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan is a Raiders type of player- and new QB Geno Smith would love to be throwing to him. Interesting fact- McMillan is going to be the first player in the NFL named Tetairoa. How about that nugget? 

7. J..E...T..S. Jets Jets Jets.  For the second year in a row the Jets grab a great Ol in round 1, choosing Kelvin Banks JR from Texas. Having lost RT Morgan Moses in FA, the Jets have this wild idea that teams who win Super Bowls start with dominating OL and DL lines like...um....the Eagles have done. 

8. Carolina Panthers. Let us tell you who they are NOT taking. Shedeur Sanders. Instead the Panthers grab OLB Jalon Walker from Georgia. 

9. New Orleans Saints. Now Sanders is in play. Rumpole says DO NOT DO IT. He is not a first round talent. the choice is between Sanders and Mason Graham, DT Michigan. They should draft Graham (see comments about the Jets and Eagles above), but we think they just might pull the trigger on Shedeur. 

10.  Da Bears. This is easy. They grab the best TE in the draft for their new QB- Tyler Warren from Penn State. 

11. San Fran. Now things get tricky. There's a lot of choices. We think the 49ers go for Mykel Williams, DE Georgia if none of the other defensive players have fallen to them. 

12. Cowboys. Talk about teams that have lately blow the draft, the Cowboys are right up there. They wanted  Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan, but he's gone. They are a candidate to trade with the Cheaters to grab Jeanty, which would be a great trade for them. But assuming they stand pat and ignore the urge to draft the punter from North Dakoata State, then it's either WR Luther Burden III from Missouri, or one of the two top cornerbacks -Jahdae Brown from Texas or Will Johnson from Michigan. 

13.YOUR Miami Dolphins.  If the Cowpokes don't draft a CB then the Fins grab Jahdae Brown from Texas which is the player they have targeted. If the Cowpokes take Brown, then the Fins most likely will take Johnson, but they will consider trading down or two of the Big Defensive Tackles on the board- Derrick Harmon from Oregon or Shemar Stewart from Texas A & M. Our choice- the big guy from Oregon to anchor the defensive line  for the next five years. 

We may...may...live blog the draft. Tune in and see. 

Oh, and Shedeur Sanders? He falls past the Steelers at 21 ( he is not a Mike Tomlin type of player) and out of the first Round to the NY Giants in Round Two. The Steelers trade out of the first round (they currently do not have a 2nd round pick) and grab their QB in the second round UNLESS  DT Derrick Harmon is still on the board. Then they grab him as he IS a Tomlin type player. 

Have fun and enjoy the draft. 

WE RESIGN

 Three more prosecutors in the SDNY chose honor over dishonor and courage over obsequiousness.  This is their letter.  This is what real lawyers with backbones do. They don’t back down to darkness and they don’t cower to bullies.  We need more lawyers like themv.

we resign by Anonymous PbHV4H on Scribd

POPE FRANCIS

 The Pope has died one day after courageously meeting the faithful for Easter. He also met with VP JD ( stands for “just dumb”?) Vance earlier this week prompting many Rumpole acolytes to ask on social media if the VP can go meet Putin? 

Longtime and careful readers of the Blog know there is nothing that fascinates us more than the ritual and tradition after a Pope goes to meet his maker. The public destruction of his Fisherman’s Ring, the Conclave (literally meaning “with key”) of  Cardinals - no less intriguing than the recent conclave of judges here in Miami to elect their next Chief Judge - and the politicking for the office - it all fascinates us. 

But not lost in this was that Francis was a good man and a very good Pope. He brought the conversation of gay and trans people into the forefront of the Church ( so he wasn’t MAGA) and made the Papacy more open and less regal.  For example his casket will  be a simple wood one lined with zinc.  Previous Popes were interred in an elaborate three casket creation.  He will be first Pope in recent memory to have his body held not in the Basilica but in a smaller Church where he often prayed. 

Keep turned as we will use our extensive contacts to get the latest on which Cardinals (you have to be under 90 to vote) are the front runners. 

THE PARABALE OF THE SAMARITAN

UPDATED Below with the Parable of the Bondi

 Good Friday is many things to many people of many religions. At its core, it is the crucifixion of Jesus and the attending chaos of the times and people around him. Suicide, denial, a call upon the lord as to why he has forsaken Jesus; many things were occurring in turbulent times. Much like some legal proceedings today, where the government obstructs the process with endless challenges to jurisdiction, there were jurisdictional questions over the sentencing of Jesus.

Pontius Pilate questioned the sentencing of Jesus to death.  When he learned that Jesus was from Gailee, he sent the matter to King Herod who was in Jerusalem celebrating Passover.  Jesus refused to answer questions from Herod, who sent him back to Pilate, who opined that neither he nor Herod had found Jesus guilty of anything. 

Pilate had Jesus whipped and then sought to release him, but the crowd - call them the Make Rome Great Again crowd MARGA- and as MARGA and similar crowds are want to do with itinerant alien carpenters, they demanded he be crucified.   

Jesus was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. He was mocked and jeered by Roman soldiers. And  Jesus was adored, his body was taken by Joseph of Arimathea and wrapped and buried- only to be -as Christians believe- to rise again on Easter Sunday. As the Jews would say- "it was a whole mishegoss."  

For Passover,  Jews recite in their Seder that "We were strangers in the land of Egypt". For Good Friday through Easter Sunday, Jesus was forsaken, betrayed, ridiculed, and crucified for being different and for alluding that he may well be the messiah.  When directly asked, Jesus responded  mysteriously "You have said it, and in time you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the almighty." 

One might think that within the lessons of Passover and Easter is the simple proposition that the downtrodden- be them the slaves of Egypt, or the bedraggled man who was so hated, feared and loved- should be treated with dignity and respect. That we are never so tall as when we bend down to help the lowest amongst us. That the principles of the United States are that we welcome strangers in a strange land and give them the chance for life, liberty, and happiness. 

No more. The alien carpenter is deported- no papers and no work permit. Those fleeing oppression in Central America are turned away at the border- slaves fleeing oppression are not welcome in this land of freedom. And in a final insult, the government now seeks to repudiate the 14 Amendment's grant of citizenship for those born here. 

We turn our back on the poor, the oppressed, the small and weak seeking democracy and freedom. We mock aliens and immigrants like Roman soldiers who jeered Jesus. We sell out our neighbors to ICE like Judas for a few coins of silver. Our mobs chant for the deportation of those not like us, cheer their mistreatment and even their death- better dead then receiving the charity of our country. Given the choice, we have no doubt the MAGA crowd would support the crucifixion of their enemies. They already cheer the figurative crucifixions of those who are different. No more health funding for sick children; no more funding to prevent Aids in Africa. No more funding for educational institutions that do not teach the ideas of jingoism. The revocation of access to courts for lawyers who oppose them. Enemies perceived are mocked, fired, attacked, cursed, and all but literally stoned. The power of the government is turned on those who are different.  

Do you have any doubt how Jesus would have treated a trans-teenager? And do you have any doubt how our government is treating trans-people? 

All of this hate and violence and vitriol  in the name of making this country great again? 

And we thought the MAGA crowd believed this was a Christian nation.  Only in the sense that that are doing to immigrants and MAGA enemies what Pilate, Herrod and the Romans did to Jesus. 

Today it is a crime to help an immigrant. 

Luke 10: 25-37

A man who was an expert in the law asked Jesus: “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan came where the man was; and when he saw him he bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.  ‘Look after him,’ he said to the innkeeper, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” Jesus asked. 

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

But not today in MAGA America- do not do likewise they say. Have no mercy on the stranger. And yet they claim in ecstasy that this is a Christian nation. 

   Happy Easter. 

THE PARABLE OF THE BONDI

    And it came to pass that Bondi the legal expert asked Donald of Mar Galilee Lago "How can I recognize an American?" 

Donald  of Mar Galilee replied "A man was walking his daughter to kindergarten when they were beset upon by a mob who beat the man for being an alien."

"The mob were Americans" said the Bondi.  "Yes", replied Donald of Mar Galilee. 

"The mob made the little girl tear up her schoolbooks. Then a lawyer from the ACLU happened by and sheltered the man and his daughter and brought them to her school." 

"The lawyer was not an American" said the Bondi. "Right again" said Donald of Mar Gailee. 

"The teacher opened the door to give shelter to the little girl and her father, but the principal came and barred the girl from her school for being the child of an alien". 

"The teacher is not an American" said the Bondi.  "But the principal is". 

"Correct again" said Donald of Mar Galilee. 

"The man picked up his little girl who was crying to protect her from the mob who screamed at them and spit on them for being from a foreign country" said Donald of Mar Galilee.

"The mob was making America great again" said the Bondi. 

"Go and do likewise and use all the powers of the lawyers at your command to do the same to the thousands of parents and children in this country who are not from here" said Donald of Galilee.  

The Parable of the Bondi. 

Proud to be an American these days are we? 

FDC RUMOR

UPDATE:  FDC HAS AN ICE PROBLEM. No not the ones that come in cubes and you drop into your jack and coke. It's the detainee problem based on the enforcement of the alien enemies act of 1798 (better late than never). "Hey you! Yeah, you selling the hot dogs with the little girl. Come here. Ve vant to see your papers..." and then off they go to FDC. 

So some ICE detainees at FDC overwhelmed a guard requiring an emergency team to re-take the area with flash-grenades.  The entire place is on edge. And they haven't even gotten to detaining the attorneys at law firms opposing the government and the judges who issue restraining orders against the government: "No, you can't ban someone from court because they have a Free Hunter Biden Bumper Sticker on their car" ;  and "No you cannot throw the entire  UM English Department in jail because they are teaching the Grapes of Wrath and called one transgender student by their preferred pronoun..."  

But those days are coming because once they are done with Columbia and Harvard and the major law firms, they will look around and decide they are coming for you. See below. 

Here’s a good one circulating this morning from an email making the rounds:

I heard from a source there was a detainee uprising in the FDC last night due to overcrowding, that the guards were  overwhelmed, and flash grenades were deployed inside the building. Anyone have any details? Is this accurate? If it is, it’s a first in my memory.

THEY ARE COMING FOR YOU 

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

—Martin Niemöller

HELP WANTED

 Ready for a career change? 

Ready to join a dynamic team that wants to make a difference? 

Ready to sell your soul, ethics, and self- respect? 

Then the US Attorneys Office for the SDFL WANTS YOU!

Here's some helpful facts. 

Barbie will be your boss. 

But this guy will be telling you what to do, how to do it , what to say, what not to say, and when your self-respect is gone and you cannot tolerate it anymore, he will be the one who fires you. 

This is your client. 

Not this.

You get to terrorize children. 

But you can and will be required to admire him. 

These will have no bearing on your duties and the decisions you make. 

But, and this is big- you don't have to listen to these people or do what they tell you to do. 

So if you're a team player and ready to put your legal skills to use to destroy the republic and step on cherished constitutional principles, then the US Attorneys Office for the SDFL is looking for you! 

Because as history shows, there should be no legal limits on the power of the executive. 

WHAT HAPPENED WEDNESDAY IN THE MARKETS

 The bond yield saved the day, the week, and the economy. 

As of Wednesday morning the idiot was holding firm on his 1930s tariffs plan. And how well did they work back then ? Don’t get depressed (hint) if you don’t know the answer.

 But then investors began fleeing the safety of the US by not buying the 10 year treasury bond. The price fell and the yield soared over 4%. There was no more faith in the US. The Treasury and Commerce Secretaries met with the idiot in the idiot’s office and explained it to him in simple terms. When investors lose faith in treasury bonds - traditionally the safest place in the word to store money - the game is over. We go from recession to depression and the economy is wrecked. 

Lo and behold within the hour the idiot reversed course and the markers rallied over 9%. Less than half  of what they have lost. But still a record breaking rally. Which leads us to this warning. The biggest rallies occur during bear markets. So be careful.  We are not out of the woods. 

In the final analysis we are in a scenario where the markets are reacting to political news and not economic issues. Unlike the credit collapse of 2007-08 there is no fundamental weakness in the economy other than the idiot trying to lead it. The economy is strong. Our president is weak. So we are hostage to his whims. 

But what will not go away is people need iPhones. And the AI revolution is here. Apple is a great stock. And an amazing buy under 200. Nvidia is an amazing company with a five year moat around its AI leading chips. It was the buy of a lifetime under 100 and it’s still great value under 120-130 as it’s a 200 plus stock at the end of the year if the idiot can stay out of the way. Amazon is the strongest retailer in the world. It can navigate the tariff issue better than any other retailer. It’s a great buy under 200.  

So there is our take. 

Bonds saved us. 

For now. 

SAO SPAM ALERT AND MARKET UPDATE

 Tuesday update: Markets are set to open higher. Rumpole advises caution for the short term but buying for the long term (meaning you do not need this money for the next 12-24 months )  Apple and Amazon below 200 are strong long term buys. Same for Nvidia under 100.  But remember the idiot is imposing more tariffs on China and 🇨🇳 cannot capitulate, so settle in for a long trade war.  What the idiot doesn’t get is China makes products integral to US products like cars and many electronics (including many for munitions) and some pharmaceuticals that cannot be made anywhere else right now.  All that will happen and is starting to happen right now  is that middlemen in Europe are buying the components to resell to the US at … wait for it- higher costs.  

If you need some money then use today to sell into the small strength to get out.  As we will see markets mostly lower tomorrow and the week on the China news - offset by some likely tariff deals with Japan, Korea, and that massive US trading partners Sri Lanka and Vatican City. He’s such an idiot.  

The SAO has had their email hacked. Lawyers are getting spam email about non existent zoom meetings and money owed. 

Do what we do. 

Don’t open their emails. Ever. Like on any day for any reason.  If it’s important enough they will call. Then don’t take their call. Because they can’t be trusted and it’s all nonsense anyway (“victim wants max blah blah blah “ like how the adults talk in the Charlie Brown cartoons. ). 

UPDATE  Now we learn some SAO misdemeanor supervisor is unhinged and ordering underlings to revoke bond on driving cases because they are feeling insignificant and don’t understand that we get people bond on murder cases and in only rare rare circumstances should anyone be held in jail on a misdemeanor pending trial. 

To put them in their place - if you decide to open their email and send it to us we will review the case and splash them all over the blog as a lawyer dumb and inexperienced enough to try and put people in jail pretrial for a driving case. And if they think it’s good enough for court then they should have no problem with the publicity we will bring them - until someone with experience steps in and shuts them down. 

MARKET UPDATE 

We are not at a bottom.  Don’t try and bottom fish yet. As Jim Cramer said on Friday. If you bottom fish Friday you sleep with the fishes Monday. 

What we have this week is the idiot threatening China with additional 50% tariffs Thursday unless they remove their tariffs and agree to fund more Jackie Chan movies. Or something equally as stupid.  

Just watch. Nvidia fell to 87 before rallying.  You’re not going to catch the bottom.  But buying it at 105 this week or next will make you a whole lot of money in late 2025-2030. So just be patient.  

Watch Vietnam. They are actively working to remove all tariffs on all trade between Vietnam and the US.  If they make a deal others will follow and the market will rebound  

What do you call a tyrannosaurus under stress? 

Nervous Rex. 

Trade wisely. And don’t open SAO emails. Your life will improve measurably. 

WHEN YOU'RE RIGHT YOU'RE RIGHT

 Feb 2015 When you are right you are right!

WE AGREE 

NO EXCUSES! 

And when you're right- you are right. "Tariffs are a sure road to doom and disaster." 

Well said Mitt. 

WHAT TO DO? 

We do not love giving investment advice on this platform. But here's a few things to keep in mind. The greatest stock investor of our generation- Warren Buffet said this: "When people are fearful be greedy. When people are greedy be fearful."  The VIX- known as the "fear index" went from mid-teens during the bull market last month to over 30 on Friday. People are fearful.  So do with Warren Buffet said to do. Be greedy. 

Amazon is, after Friday, trading at 15 times cash flow- the lowest in its entire history. Free cash flow is expected to grow 33% a year for the next five years. Its forward PE is similar to 2009. They are building their own chips. They currently deploy 750,000 robots. They have the 3rd largest digital ad business. $amzn is a Rumpole buy. 

So is Nvidia. It is the leader in AI chips and its moat is at least five years wide. There are 300 Billion with a B commitments to new data center spending for FY 2026 and that is firm. and 95% of that spending will include putting Nvidia's new generation of chips in those data centers. Nvidia is the only AI chip game in town for the next five years. If you have ANY worries (and Nvidia has literally doubled our own considerable wealth in the last 18 months) then Taiwan Semi Conductor is a solid second choice. Semiconductors are exempt from the tariffs and $TSM has committed to investing 100 Billion with B dollars in US manufacturing plants over the next four years. #TSM is playing the game and the current administration the way it needs to be played. 

Final thought. The 20 worst days in stock market history since 1970 have been followed by ten of the best days over the next month. 

Look at it another way. There is not one time- NOT ONE- that a stock market correction has not been followed by a larger rally, Not one time. True- the 2007 downturn took five years to recover. But that was an anomaly. Usually a large downturn is followed by a larger rally within six months. Think of what happened during Covid. The shutdown caused a massive selloff (we began our third serious accumulation of Amazon at that point- our first was 1999) which was followed by a sustained rally. If you do not need the money today, tomorrow, or next week, the time to buy is coming up. 

The market has not hit a bottom. The bottom occurs when everyone who is afraid has sold all they have. There are technical indicators we use to find a bottom- and it is near. But if you do not care to time the market, and have a 1-5 year horizon on investing, then just start buying. 10 share of Amazon and Nvidia every day until you've spent your nest egg. Then relax, have a beer and watch some baseball.  

If you have ANY concerns- just reread what Warren Buffet said to do- then do it. 

NO FOOLIN

 From DOM's blog: 

The Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism and the Standing Committee on Professionalism have named Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and Judge Miguel de la O of the 11th Judicial Circuit as co-winners of the 2025 William M. Hoeveler Judicial Professionalism Award.

The annual award recognizes active judges who exemplify strength of character, service, and competence as a jurist, lawyer, and public servant.

Chief Judge Altonaga and Judge de la O “demonstrate the ideals of professionalism and justice while inspiring others to do the same,” according to the Center for Professionalism.

Rumpole says: Well done to both judges. As to our milieu, Judge De La O has now long been known as the go-to judge for fairness and decency in the REGJB. No DeSantis drone he. 

As to our post on April 1, the sad thing is that some readers thought the press release from the SAO no longer cowering to the victim's wishes was true. Would that it were so. But we do not live in a time of heroes. We live in a time of cowards. 

Which brings us to the president's tariffs. 

You will be glad to know that Bangladesh won't be pushing the US around anymore. The President has slapped that economic powerhouse with double digit tariffs. And the good news for South Floridians is that if you want to make a reservation for a weekend at a beach motel in Dania, you can now do so, as Canadians are staying away from the US in droves. 

Can you blame them? 

And on and on it goes, because we live in a time of cowards and not heroes, as large law firms and universities are demonstrating in droves. 

A NEW DAY

 Some positive news from the SAO today in a news release: 

“As of today the Miami Dade State attorney’s office will no longer make plea offers based on the victim wanting the max.  We will now evaluate a case based on principles of justice and individual facts and not let the understandable emotions of a victim dictate how we proceed.” 

Rumpole says : long overdue. 

Did you know ? Apple 🍎was founded today on April 1 1976? 

Rumors of a state of Florida Doge- like committee are circulating.  Things being considered - 1) eliminating bathrooms for judicial chambers; 2) eliminating diversity training for all state employees; 3) implementing minimum mandatory prison sentences for being homeless ; 4) eliminating drug court and veterans court as wasteful efforts that embrace DEI ; 5) criminalizing the use of transgender pronouns; 6)criminalizing the existence of charitable food banks in communities; 7) mandating all state employees receive two hours of training in the science that there is no such thing as global warming; 8) requiring all state agencies to begin every meeting with a prayer recognizing that Jesus Christ is the lord and savior. 9) Any state employee with a degree from Colombia University between 2010-2025 will be summarily dismissed  

Sounds good to us. 

SUNNY MONDAY

 It's a new week and the sun is out. Here's our thoughts.

Need a continuance in federal court? Here's a quick out. Become of counsel to one of those firms that the Idiot has attacked. Part of his executive order bars their employees from entering federal buildings. 

"Dear Judge Altonaga- I must inform you that I cannot try the case set next week. The President has barred employees from Wilmer Hale from entering the premises of federal buildings, and I recently became of counsel to Wilmer Hale. I'd be happy to see if Judge Sayfie can lend us one of the State Courtrooms for this case."

El Herald reports that Canadians are canceling their vacation plans to South Florida. Guess MAGA doesn't mean MFLGA. 

Meanwhile the SAO just keeps trying to hide from their malfeasance: "if we ignore it, it will go away"  which is not far removed from George Costanza's famous idiom "It's not a lie Jerry if you believe it".  No real remedial actions. They've done NOTHING to restore the Bench and Bar's confidence in their office. So call them out on it. If they make a promise in Court, remind the Judge what they have done and why you cannot take them at their word.

How's the economy treating you? Price of eggs dropped? Price of new cars dropped.? How's your 401K doing? Market have any confidence in The Idiot? Just asking. 

As for that third term? Just look at what Putin did and you'll understand what is in his feeble mind. 

Watch the special election for the seat vacated by ace National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in Florida's Sixth. A reliably R seat, the Dem has raised ten million and is making it a competitive race in a district The Idiot won by 30. It's a mostly older district. Hope they are enjoying themselves if they need to contact social security. Things are so bad at the agency the Idiot's henchman is gutting that supervisors are answering the receptionist's phones. The website was down four of the last ten days. MAGA so long as you're not a retiree who has paid their money into the system and now is a victim of a Government sponsored "Rug Pull". If you don't know what a RP is, Google it- or ask a 20 something.  

Meanwhile, it turns out Waltz friended a bunch of North Korean spies on Facebook and added them on his Snap and Tik Tok accounts. His Tik Tok is racking up some serious views as he posts our attack plans before they occur. The Idiot has mused about paying for military strikes by posting them first on Tik Tok and monetarizing social media to pay for the military. Can't argue with that reasoning. 

*NB: When we refer to him as The Idiot, it is an ironic play on the novel by Dostoevsky- a book we assure you he has never read.  

*NB is latin for Note Bene which means "note well" or "take note". 

NB our country is being run by amateurish fools. 

RAINY SUNDAY

 Let's talk about something different. 

We contend there are no more poetic words in any rock song than these from Thunder Road: 

So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but hey, you're alright
Oh, and that's alright with me

You can hide 'neath your covers and study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a savior to rise from these streets

Well now, I'm no hero, that's understood
All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey, what else can we do now?

Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow back your hair
Well, the night's busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back, heaven's waiting down on the tracks

DUMB AND DUMBER

 Hillary Clinton called Trump dumb and his administration dumber in an op ed piece for the NY Times here. 

The Trump administration wanted to reply, but no one in the administration reads the Times. 

This was the opening line: 

It’s not the hypocrisy that bothers me; it’s the stupidity. 

Then it got worse.

Firing hundreds of federal workers charged with protecting our nation’s nuclear weapons is also dumb. So is shutting down efforts to fight pandemics just as a deadly Ebola outbreak is spreading in Africa. It makes no sense to purge talented generals, diplomats and spies at a time when rivals like China and Russia are trying to expand their global reach.

And then this: 

The Trump approach is dumb power. Instead of a strong America using all our strengths to lead the world and confront our adversaries, Mr. Trump’s America will be increasingly blind and blundering, feeble and friendless.

And this: 

Does anyone really think deleting tributes to the Tuskegee Airmen makes us more safe? The Trump Pentagon purged images of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb that ended World War II because its name is the Enola Gay. Dumb

(The answer is yes. The idiots Trump appointed to run the Pentagon think its more important to remove pictures of the Enola Gay then keep tight security on impending military action) 

All of this is both dumb and dangerous. And I haven’t even gotten to the damage Mr. Trump is doing by cozying up to dictators like Russia’s Vladimir Putin, blowing up our alliances — force multipliers that extend our reach and share our burdens — and trashing our moral influence by undermining the rule of law at home. 

And this gem: 

Diplomacy is cost-effective, especially compared with military action. Preventing wars is cheaper than fighting them. Mr. Trump’s own former secretary of defense Jim Mattis, a retired Marine Corps four-star general, told Congress, “If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition.”

And she ended with this:

If America is ruled like a banana republic, with flagrant corruption and a leader who puts himself above the law, we lose that argument. We also lose the qualities that have made America exceptional and indispensable.

BASEBALL OPENING DAY 2025

March 27, 2025 Legal Update: 

David O Markus. Lauren Krasnoff. Month plus trial. 

Wait for it....

NOT GUILTY!!!!  Congrats!!! 

IT'S OPENING DAY!
For legions of die-hard fans who closed out the fall of last year stating "wait till next year!", next year is here. 

Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all –
a moment in the sun; It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye!
John Fogerty, Centerfield.
  
This is a blog tradition. We run this post most years. Baseball is important to us.

The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Ohhh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come. Terrance Mann, Field Of Dreams.



Baseball follows no time. It has a rhythm of it’s own. It’s the only major sport without a time clock.  But now it has a pitch clock and we are not a fan. The strategy is to control the man. Control the match-up.

No matter how you play it, its 3 men up and three men down for nine innings.

It’s a game of statistics- do you bring in your right-handed reliever to face the other teams big right-handed hitter? The stats say yes. And yet…

it’s a game of hunches. When Tommy Lasorda called an injured Kirk Gibson off the bench in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series in the 9th inning, one on, two out, the Dodgers behind 4-3, and the future Hall of Fame Pitcher Dennis Eckersley on the mound , he did so on a hunch. Announcer Jack Buck called the home run, and was moved to exclaim “I don’t believe what I just saw.”

It’s a game of senses.

The glimpse of the green grass in Centerfield when you first walk into Yankee Stadium.
The smell of cut grass and fresh dirt.
The sting of a foul ball off a wood bat on a cold March morning.
The sound of the pop of the ball in the catcher's glove.

Little boys and girls  learn that when they hurt themselves in the game, to rub some dirt on it. Is there any more valuable lesson in life?

The moments are magical, yet simple. It's why memories remain so clear in the rheumy eyes of old men who once played the game.

To take the wide turn past second, stretch a double into a triple, dive in head first, stand up, and dust yourself off.

To move to your own rhythm while you crouch with your glove off of third base, (the hot corner) each hand on a knee, eyes wide as the ball comes off the bat. You scoop up the one hopper and make the throw to first.

Roberto Clemente in game 7 against the Orioles catching the ball in deep right field, whirling and firing a strike to third base- the best throw in the history of the game. 

Willie Mays stalking center field, gliding under a fly ball. 

Hammerin Hank Aaron hitting another one out.

Pudge Fisk hopping and jumping and waving that ball fair.

Mets/ Red Sox. Game six, 1986. Do we need to say anything more?

October 13, 1960. A fading fall light in Pittsburgh. Seventh game of the world series. Ralph Terry on the mound for the Yanks for the bottom of the ninth. The game impossibly tied at 9-9. Bill Mazeroski, the Bucs light-hitting second baseman  takes the first pitch for a ball. The second pitch sails over a dejected Yogi Berra in left field as the city explodes and Maz dances around the bases in the only seventh game-9th inning walk off home run.

Young Dwight Gooden throwing heat, and then snapping off a curve (uncle Charlie, or Lord Charles) for a called third strike. Close your eyes and you can almost see Bob Gibson, standing on the mound in 1968, glaring, before throwing a hard high one inside.

Reggie hitting one out with his first swing on a cold October evening against the Dodgers in the 77 Series. And then another one with his first swing. And then, impossibly, another one with his first swing. Three swings, three home runs. In the World Series. 

Cleon Jones waiting under a fly ball hovering in an ice-blue New York October sky. The ball lands softly into his glove, and Jones falls to one knee for a minute as a man, and stands up as an immortal member of the 1969 Miracle Mets- the fly ball being the last out in the world series that the improbable Mets won. 

Any three guys turning a 4-6-3  double play, but Tinkers to Evans to Chance being the best.

There comes a time in a boy’s life when he stands there at home plate. It's hardball in an organized league. His first real “at bat.” The pitcher is a year older, and maybe thirty pounds heavier. The first pitch comes in so fast he can barely see it. It’s hard to believe anyone can throw that hard. And yet the boy stands there, rubbing some dirt on his hands as he re-grips his bat, kicks his cleats into the ground, and waves his bat. Hopefully menacingly. Just like he's seen it done on TV.

The pitch comes, and suddenly it's in slow motion. He can see the seams on the ball rotating. He can almost smell the ball as he swings. The bat glides across his hips and the plate. It all seems so simple, as a line drive bounces safely in the alley. He turns at first, saunters back, takes off his batting helmet and glove, and puts his foot on the bag, feeling it crunch beneath his foot. He may not know it, but his father is crying in the stands, and he has given himself a memory for life.

Young boys grow up and then grow old. They do their life's work and the game begins to fade away.
But every now and then, right around this time of year, they rummage through their closet and pull out a glove. Or maybe they go to the sporting goods store and buy one for themselves and one for their son or daughter. Then they sit  with their new glove that first night, showing their kid how to oil it up and put a ball in the pocket. And maybe it’s a family tradition to fold that oiled glove over a ball in the pocket and put that glove under your pillow.

And you smell the oil, and the rawhide, and you dream.

Just to hit the ball.
And touch them all.
A moment in sun.
It’s gone and you can kiss that one goodbye.

This is our favoutire post. 

WHERE WERE YOU?

UPDATE BELOW on the professionalism of our new Pentagon and Sec Of Defense 

By now you all have seen the White House memo weaponizing the Department of Justice to go after attorneys who oppose the DOJ and White House in court.  If not, click here. 

The threat is real. Lawyers and Courts represent perhaps the last line of defense against a president bent on destroying the Constitution. The President knows this which is why he is attacking law firms and pulling contracts from them and revoking security clearances of lawyers.  The  latest to buckle under the threat was the NY super firm of Paul Weiss which bowed down to the president on their knees and kissed his ring to secure hundreds of million of dollars in fees. The NY Times reported about the Vichy-French-like surrender here.  

The name Vidkun Quisling comes to mind. 

DOM covers it here as well. 

So what are you going to do? 

"Where were you when the Nazis came for your neighbors?" a generation of German children asked their parents. 

Now it is our time. 

"Where were you when the president threatened lawyers and judges as he dismantled the Constitution, ordered the arrest of those who opposed him, and sent them to prisons in El Salvador?"

If you do not think the El Salvador threat for lawyers and judges is not real, we bet you didn't think the president didn't have a chance to win, and if he won he wouldn't defund most of the government, shut down the department of education, defy federal judges, make universities bow to his will, and deport those who oppose him. 

UPDATE: 

As you know, we are all now much safer since the ridiculous Biden Sec of Defense Four-star General Lloyd Austin was replaced by a Fox TV host who beats women. Who would you rather have as a Secretary of Defense- a former general who devoted his life to the defense of this country, or a failed TV host with an alcohol and anger problem?  

The TV host duh! 

Which is why the NY Times is breaking the story Monday afternoon that our current Sec Of Defense texted on a Signal Group chat with journalists including the editor of the Atlantic that the US Military was planning strikes on Yemen  before they occurred last week. 

Yup, Let that sink in. The current "professionals" put the lives of US pilots at risk by texting an upcoming military strike in a group chat. 

Sec Of Defense: "Yo. Dude like OMG guess what we fixin to do? Launch F18s off a carrier to strike those simps in Yemen. Like Dude in like four hours. They won't know what him them LMFAO!"  

Random Journalist: "OMG No f'ing way dude! Like so f'ing cool. LMFAO when those bombs hit those dudes. Like can u tell me the coordinates and stuff?" 

MAGA! - via Signal group chats baby. 

DOWN GOES FOREMAN

UPDATE: The White House threatened us, so like the law firm Paul Weiss (and Vichy France in 1940)  we capitulated and removed the prior post. Life under occupation 2025.  

In the 1970s three of the coolest guys on the planet were Muhammed Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman. Throw in Steve McQueen and Bruce Lee, and it's all 70's cool all the time. 

Ali, Fraser and Foreman were inextricably intertwined with each other. (This is still a legal blog in some ways). There would be no Ali without Frazier and Foreman, No Foreman without his destruction of the heavyweight Champ Joe Frazier. And no smokin Joe Frazier without his three epic battles with Ali. 

It started with Ali/Frazier at Madison Square Garden with the fight of century on March 8, 1971. Ali was the linear champion. He lost the title when he refused to be drafted. Joe Frazier was the actual champion but he knew he would never be recognized as such until he fought and beat Ali. 

There may never be a sporting event like this again in our lifetimes. Just about every celebrity in the world who was anyone was there as a spectator (Norman Mailer and Woody Allen), photographer (Frank Sinatra couldn't get a ticket so he got in as a photographer for Life Magazine), or announcer - the actor Bert Lancaster who had never called any sporting event before.

    Frazier beat Ali in a 15 round decision, dropping him with a sweet left hook in the 14th. 

    Meanwhile George Foreman was stalking them both. A glowering 6'4 and 230 pounds of menace and muscle, he was best known for waving the American Flag when he won the gold medal in the same 1968 Olympics that Juan Carlos and Tommie Smith gave a raised fist salute. 

    After Frazier beat Ali, Foreman was looming. He was beating every single opponent by knockout- usually in the first three rounds. He did not have a bout go past the eighth round when he finally met Joe Frazier on January 22, 1973, less than two years after Frazier beat Ali. 

Joe Frazier was the favourite. He was a relentless fighter who kept moving forward, bobbing and weaving to make his opponent miss while he measured him with sharp jabs to set up one of the best left hooks ever seen. Frazier was not just good. He was great. He still stands today as a top five heavyweight champion.  He had no quit in him. He had the heart of a lion. When he fought Ali in Manilla for their third match and was prevented by his corner from answering the bell in the 15th round, Ali fainted. He later said it was as close to death as he ever felt. 

Which puts into context two things. First the utter destruction of Joe Frazier by George Foreman when they met. Foreman knocked Frazier down SIX TIMES in two rounds- the first knock down famously recorded by Howard Cosell who shouted DOWN GOES FRAZIER DOWN GOES FRAZIER DOWN GOES FRAZIER. The knockdown of the heavyweight champion was that shocking and unexpected. The video is below. You just did not do to Joe Frazier what Foreman did to him. And that sets up for a discussion at another time Ali's shocking eighth round knockout of George Foreman with what we contend was the best right hand punch landed in the history of boxing. 

The three of them made each other the stars they were. Ali. Frazier. Foreman. None of them would have been who they were without the other two.  And Cosell calling their bouts made it that much better. And our thoughts about Howard we shall also save for another slow day. 

George Foreman went on to reinvent himself, winning the heavyweight championship as an aging and jolly 45-year-old and then becoming one of America's favourite pitchman with his George Foreman grill (we had one; who didn't?). 

George Foreman was a great champion. And here was his greatest moment. You just did not do to Joe Frazier- one of the greatest fighters in history- what Foreman did to him. Enjoy. And rest in peace Champ.