My brother and only sibling became diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2017. Just like that, everything changed in his life and mine. During the year of his illness, we gathered and reviewed information from doctors and researched on our own. We followed doctor’s orders. And above all else we remained optimistic. We tried to become as knowledgeable as possible and follow medical advice based on the best possible medical protocols. Fast forward to 18 months following my brother’s passing and I am looking at the Coronavirus. And I am wondering what lessons to be learned from the one year of critical care for my brother. First, l learned to leave most of the medical studying to doctors. I did not go to law school to become a doctor. I would never suggest that we accept everything a physician tells us. I would also find it extremely unwise to ignore everything a doctor advises. When I see Donald Trump talking about his medical opinions and then having the public health … [Read more...] about What My Brother’s Life and Death Taught Me about the Coronavirus
Trump
Why Trump’s Impeachment Ended in a Mistrial Without an Acquittal
Senators voted 48-52 on the abuse of power article of impeachment and 47-53 on the obstruction of justice article in Donald Trump’s impeachment proceedings. Following the impeachment votes, the words used to describe the outcome are vindication, acquittal, cleared of all charges and not guilty. One word you may not hear is mistrial. That’s exactly what occurred. A mistrial occurs when neither side wins in a trial. It is also called a hung jury. As a trial attorney and former prosecutor, I can attest that neither side wants a mistrial. A mistrial can occur for several reasons. It happens where the jury cannot agree on a verdict. A mistrial also occurs where a trial is rendered invalid through an error in the proceedings. Through juror misconduct, a judge may also declare a mistrial. A mistrial took place for several reasons in the impeachment proceeding. First, there was never a real trial. It defies reason to have a jury verdict when there is no real trial with sworn witnesses to … [Read more...] about Why Trump’s Impeachment Ended in a Mistrial Without an Acquittal
The Impeachment Charade Trial
The Senate votes on Wednesday to convict or acquit Donald Trump after no trial occurred. How can someone be acquitted if there was never a trial? In a real court room instead of a fake political proceeding, witnesses are called to testify under oath before a jury can convict or acquit a defendant. The impeachment trial left all semblance of a trial at home. In a recent The Hill article, I wrote: Please Don't Call the Impeachment Proceeding a Trial; It's Charade. As a trial lawyer, I am appalled at what occurred in the Senate chamber masquerading as s trial. It demeans the term justice to think that what occurred in the impeachment proceeding was anything but a sham. As a trial attorney and former prosecutor, I’ve tried over hundreds of cases. The essence of a trial is to seek justice and search for the truth. I often tell jurors that it’s a fact-finding mission with a juror’s role to determine the facts of the case. As I watched the impeachment trial unfold, I saw little … [Read more...] about The Impeachment Charade Trial
N.Y. Judge Orders Release of Trump Tax Returns
A federal judge rejected Donald Trump’s claim that he is immune from an investigation surrounding a subpoena for his tax returns from 2011 to the present. It may be the beginning of the end of Trump’s denials on releasing his tax returns. During the 2016 presidential campaign and afterwards, Trump asserted that an IRS audit prevented him from releasing his tax returns. In September 2019, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance subpoenaed eight years of Trump’s tax returns prepared through his accounting firm. A Grand Jury sought the returns to ascertain whether Trump committed any violations of New York law in relation to 2016 hush money repayments stemming from the Stormy Daniels payments by former attorney Michael Cohen. Trump filed a lawsuit to block any actions to obtain his tax records, including the Grand Jury subpoena of his accounting firm and the Trump Organization. Trump’s asserts that as president of the U.S., absolute immunity prevents any criminal investigations … [Read more...] about N.Y. Judge Orders Release of Trump Tax Returns
SCOTUS May End Abortion, DACA and LGBTQ Rights
The Supreme Court announced that it will hear several controversial and highly political cases during its upcoming term. These cases include abortion rights, employment rights for LGBTQ persons, immigration rights under “DACA” (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and gun rights/gun control. In weighing the outcomes on these issues, the Supreme Court may vote along political party lines. Trump’s nominations and appointment of Justices Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the conservative block may determine the fate of these issues. The justices will hear a Louisiana abortion case as the first case among the recent conservative abortion restriction cases—in the early 2020 term. Among the many recent conservative/restrictive abortion laws passed, it will be the first test abortion test case to be decided with the all new majority of Supreme Court conservative justices appointed by Trump. The Louisiana law would require that a doctor performing an abortion have admitting privileges to a … [Read more...] about SCOTUS May End Abortion, DACA and LGBTQ Rights
WUSA 9 Interviews Debbie Hines on Mueller Report
Alas, the long awaited Special Counsel Robert Mueller report was released to Attorney General William Barr. Although the report reportedly contained over 700 pages, Attorney General Barr wrote a 4 page summary of its contents. To say that wasn't scratching the surface would be a severe understatement. The American people deserve to see its full contents. The report looked into two questions--whether there was a conspiracy or coordination between Trump, the Trump campaign and the Russian government during our 2016 presidential election; And whether there was an obstruction of justice by Donald Trump into the Russian investigation. Until the report is released, we cannot speculate about its contents. We are just as in the dark as before the report was released. WUSA 9 anchor Bruce Johnson interviewed me on my take on the Mueller report. … [Read more...] about WUSA 9 Interviews Debbie Hines on Mueller Report