Clik here to view.
The Show Trial Begins: The State Grooms New Killers
I was in New Haven Superior Court yesterday representing folks in the ordinary sorts of chaos that are typical of a criminal defense lawyer's day: A woman cut her lover with a knife as they fought. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Stryker's "The Art Of Advocacy": Must Reading
The backward glance is almost always fatal to the living spirit. If the best has already been thought, said and done, what's the point of struggling forward? If all is but mere faint repetition of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Shocker In New Haven: Juror Asks What's This Murder Case About, Anyhow?
At the rate things are going in the case of State v. Hayes, the case could end as early as next week. But the ending will be a mistrial, not a verdict. That's because in two short days of evidence,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wanna Use My Confession? Then Record It.
If you want to short the circuits of an FBI agent, agree to talk to him, but only on the condition that you are permitted to tape record, or, even better yet, video record, your converation. Odds are,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ito Alert: "Tweaking" A Jury In New Haven--
I did not need to attend the O.J. Simpson trial in Los Angeles to get a sense of the proceeding's carnival-like atmosphere. The press conveyed what went on all too well. It soon became apparent for all...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lah-Dee-Dah and the Rule of Law
If you have heard enough about the show-trial taking place in New Haven regarding the Cheshire home invasion, you might be tempted to skip this column. But I ask you to hang in for a paragraph or two....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Updated Trench Menus, Tweeter and an Aborted Twittergate
Do real lawyers engage in all the tomfoolery associated with social media? The answer is yes. I am a real lawyer, and I blog and I Tweet. I also think that there should be a broader public...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Haven Miscellany: State v. Hayes
I passed through New Haven mid-day yesterday after a quick pre-trial in New London in a child sex case. My hope was to poke my head in on the trial of State v. Hayes to see whether the atmosphere in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Programming Note
I will be switching to a new service for publication of this blog in the next couple of days. Among the questions on my mind as I make ready for the switch is whether the comments section to the blog...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Something Different ...
I had dinner tonight with a client and his daughter. The client faces great trouble. His daughter loves him with a heart bursting with pride. The pain of allegations without foundation weighs heavily...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Approaching Reality In The "Show Me" State
I am not yet prepared to say I want to live in Missouri, but I sure might prefer practicing law there. That's because in Missouri, judges now are considering the cost of incarcerating a defendant. This...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Orchid and The Cowboy
I've been luckier than I deserve in my legal career to attract the mentorship of some great lawyers. John R. Williams on New Haven broke me in, teaching me all he knew about civil rights litigation and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mandatory Minimum Sentences and the Separation of Powers
I had lunch the other day in Maine with activists seeking to reform the penal system. More and more Maine residents are finding themselves behind bars, and there are seemingly fewer resources each year...
View ArticleClik here to view.
State v. Hayes: What Happens If The Judge Can't Return?
Superior Court Judge John C. Blue called in sick today, causing another delay in the case of State v. Hayes, the triple murder that has captured the morbid fascination of the court-watching civilized...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Sound Of Silence
My new blog site will up and running tomorrow. I am electing to cease taking public comments. I've also decided to avoid the use of statistical tracking packages. Bottom line? Much though I enjoy...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Junk Science Serves Junk Justice: We Can Do Better
More than once I have heard a prosecutor in trial urge a judge to admit contested evidence: "The state cannot prove its case without this evidence, your honor," the argument goes. To which I typically...
View ArticleClik here to view.
666: It's Time For A Change
I note the irony for what it is worth: On this, the 666th post on this blog site, I am announcing a change to a new blog site: http://www.pattisblog.com/. I am sure that some will regard this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rage And The Hunting Of Steven Hayes
Herewith a debate of sorts on the morality of the death penalty in the Connecticut case of State v. Steven Hayes. Is killing the killer every justified. Listen to the debate: WPLR Interview on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Yes, Virginia, We Kill Women, Too
I won't pretend to be neutral about the death penalty. The state ought not to have the power to kill its citizens. Period. It is too awesome and final a power, and it has historically been used too...
View ArticleClik here to view.
State V. Hayes: A Necessary Act Of Contempt
Game, set and match to Joshua Komisarjesky's lawyer in deciding to break a court order. What could he have been thinking?Check out the full piece at my new blog site: A Necessary Act Of Contempt.My new...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Look At Breyer's Making Our Democracy Work
What's the world look like from the vantage point of a Justice serving on the United States Supreme Court? Stephen Breyer tells us in his simple new volume, Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge's View....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Will Mickey Sherman Go To Prison?
Today is sentencing day in Mickey Sherman's tax case. Will the judge send him to prison? I say yes, if only for a brief spell. Read onI've changed blog hosts and can now be found at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
White Collar Ambulance Chasing?
Personal injury lawyers get a bad wrap for using runners to drum up business. Is the white collar bar any different. I have my doubts. Here's why.I've had an RSS fee installed on my new blog site,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Compromise Verdict
He shot her in the head a close range. It wasn't murder, a jury said. But neither was it self-defense. No one argued the shooting was accidental. So what was it? Find out hereI've moved blog sites to...
View ArticleClik here to view.