Most of the stories I am watching are of a legal nature, and I am happy to report, the news is fairly good!
Trump Arraignment. Donald Trump, the twice impeached and 34-count-indicted ex-president, will be arraigned on Tuesday afternoon in Manhattan. It’s unclear what arrangements will be made, including whether he will do a “perp” (perpetrator) walk before cameras while handcuffed. My own feeling is, if he craves that attention, prosecutors should deny it to him if possible. Big on my list of questions of course is what the actual charges are. There are around a dozen separate checks which were all falsified in the business records, but that still leaves over 20 counts. Throw in a conspiracy count on each, and you still have a lot left over. Also unclear? Whether his followers will stage any kind of disruptive protests and whether his big mouth and attacks upon the judge and prosecutors will result in a gag order from the judge.
Fox News lost partial summary judgment. Uh oh, Fox. A judge in Delaware overseeing the Dominion Voting Systems defamation case against Fox ruled against the network and in favor of Dominion on a key question: falsity. So what does that mean? In practical terms, the jury trial set for April will now focus solely on two questions: 1) Did Fox act with “actual malice” in spreading the false claims, meaning did they act knowingly or with reckless disregard for the truth, and 2) if they did, what damages is Dominion entitled to, including possible punitive? That’s a pretty terrible position for Fox to be in just weeks out from trial.
Federal courts uphold core First Amendment rights. Separate federal courts in Texas and Tennessee have put on hold new laws that banned books and drag shows in those states, respectively. This is the beginning of a long legal process that will likely involve appeals up the chain, but it is heartening to see these victories in two different states under these judges—both of whom were appointed by Trump.
Vote suppressor convicted. Douglass Mackey, who created ads targeting likely supporters of Hillary Clinton in 2016 suggesting they could cast their votes via phones, was found guilty of conspiracy on Friday. Attempting to keep people from actually voting is a crime, and while MAGA claims he was just a harmless prankster, the authorities (who were within the Trump Department of Justice) took it seriously, as they should have.
Finland is joining NATO. The last resistance to Finland’s bid to join the defensive alliance fell after the Turkish parliament voted to approve the request. From here out, it’s a formality for Finland’s own government to complete the process. Russian President Vladimir Putin had hoped to stop NATO expansion through a brutal invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Instead, his bloody and costly war has resulted in 1,300 kilometers of additional border between NATO and Russia—with a developed and heavily armed country that has a deep distrust of Russia due to past conflict and invasion.
Wisconsin state Supreme Court election. Tuesday is Election Day in the pivotal battleground state of Wisconsin, the culmination of a hard-fought battle for a vacant seat, one that will decide whether liberals or conservatives control the court for the next generation. This election will be a bellwether for what we might expect in 2024. Liberal and progressive groups are hoping to show strong base enthusiasm to protect abortion rights and put an end to voter suppression and extreme gerrymandering that has locked in a Republican supermajority despite Democrats winning more votes statewide.
Disney got DeSantis good. Fighting back against Gov. DeSantis’s take over of the tax district that governs the entertainment company, Disney surprised everyone by giving itself new powers, declaring that any future changes to the governing district must be made for the benefit of the park. This is enforceable “in perpetuity” or (and this is really in the document) “until 21 years after the death of the last surviving descendants of King Charles III, King of England.” That’s a “Royal Lives” clause, if you’re wondering, which is something that dates back to the 17th century. The new oversight board failed to notice that this change was underway, despite the fact Disney had posted public notices of the hearings in local papers. Litigation will inevitably follow, but DeSantis has got to feel he got DeSuckered.
Have a great weekend!
Jay
“DeSuckered”...LOL!
What if they incited a riot and nobody came.
So far the protests in the street are, shall we say, lackadaisical. Tuesday would be an interesting take on how much 1/6 was actually driven in large part by plotters like the Proud Boys.