Valentine's Day is a good day to send some love to all criminal defense lawyers. In the words of Carol A. Brook, Deputy Director, Federal Public Defender for Northern Illinois:
Don’t do it for the money, there isn’t enough. Don’t do it for prestige, you won’t get any. Don’t do it for the thrill of victory, victory rarely comes.
Do it for love. Do it for justice. Do it for self-respect. Do it for the satisfaction of knowing you are serving others, defending the Constitution, living your ideals.
The work is hard. The law is against you. The facts are against you. The judges are often against you. Sometimes even your clients are against you.
But it is a great job – exhilarating, energizing, rewarding. You get to touch people’s hearts and fight for what you believe in every day.
Happy Valentine's Day to Ema Coronel Aispuro and all the other supportive loved ones of the incarcerated.
An Unhappy Valentine's Day to Ted Cruz who continues to pander his worthless "El Chapo' border wall bill to under-informed Trump supporters who don't realize that neither our Government nor Mexico has found a dime of El Chapo's money, let alone enough for a border "wall". Ted Cruz has become so noxious that I blocked the words "Ted Cruz" from appearing in my Twitter feed. Also, we have laws on how forfeited money is spent. Here's what was collected and how it was spent in 2018.
This is an open thread, all topics welcome.