Trump Hush Money Trial Delayed

           The issue of the moment in the world of Trump litigation; why did the federal prosecutors in the                 Southern District of New York wait until now to deliver over 100,000 pages of documents to                      Trump’s lawyers, thereby causing the hush money trial to be delayed? My reading of the matter follows.

As a former Assistant District Attorney in New York County, I know from personal experience that historically there has been a state of mistrust, competition and tension between the offices of the SDNY and Manhattan D.A. When, over a year ago, D.A. Alvin Bragg requested documents relevant to this case, the SDNY felt neither the inclination nor obligation to comply. When, two months ago, Trump’s lawyers subpoenaed the same documents, the federal prosecutors realized that a failure to turn over potentially exculpatory evidence to a criminal defendant, especially one of such high profile, would expose their office to widespread condemnation and would threaten the validity of any conviction won by the D.A. they, belatedly and deliberately, began to turn over the documents.

GOP Response to State of the Union Address

 

Having heard the horrific story of sex trafficking recited by Sen. Katie Britt, as the featured point of the Republican response to President Biden’s State of the Union Address, I will never, ever vote for George W. Bush to again be president of the United States.

Subway Security Plan Faces Pushback

 The decision by Governor Hochul, to post the National Guard in subways, is controversial. Whatever one’s view of this deployment, it should be a no-brainer that the guardsmen and women should leave their assault rifles back in the barracks.These soldiers are not responding to a terrorist threat. Side arms and tasers are far more useful (and far less intimidating to the public) to prevent misconduct by potential violent offenders and emotionally unstable individuals.

Better yet, let the military attend to military matters and, instead, provide an increased police presence to preserve the peace and calm public fears in the subway.

Supreme Court Keeps Trump On Ballot

 

The holding by the Supreme Court, that Congress and not the states has the power to keep a candidate for federal office off the ballot, and that that power can only be exercised pursuant to legislation to be enacted by Congress, means that, as the law now stands, the only remedy barring an oath breaking insurrectionist from running for president is impeachment followed by conviction by a two-thirds vote of the Senate.
That result was expected and not particularly controversial. The real test of the Court’s integrity and independence will come next month when it hears argument and, ultimately, must decide whether a former president has complete immunity from prosecution for engaging in criminal conduct while in office. By unduly delaying resolution of this issue the Court has already injudiciously advantaged Donald Trump, possibly insulating him from ever being held accountable for his unlawful attempt to remain in office. Still, how the Court rules will demonstrate whether the majority of justices are jurists or politicians in robes.