Legalectric

LIAR!

From PolitiFact Wisconsin:

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan compares Madison to Cairo, calls protests over collective bargaining changes “riots”

Yeah right… here’s the proof — SNORT:

Remember the story last week: Tom Dunnwald in the news

Well, Prosecutor Chris Rovney is in the news yet again for his bad behavior:

The Free Press, Mankato, MN

February 19, 2011
Attorney: Prosecutor violated standards

Anonymous The Free Press The Mankato Free Press Sat Feb 19, 2011,
12:04 AM CST

MANKATO — A defense attorney is accusing a prosecutor of violating the state’s professional conduct rules in an argument to move the trial of a Lake Crystal basketball coach accused of sexually assaulting a player.

Jim Fleming, the attorney representing 28-year-old Steve Campbell, is referring to a statement the prosecutor made during an interview with news reporters after a hearing for Campbell. Chris Rovney, assistant Blue Earth County attorney, was asked if it would matter if the victim didn’t cooperate when the case went to trial.

Rovney’s response was that the 17-year-old girl’s testimony wouldn’t be needed because Campbell had “basically confessed” to having sex with her.

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Do we — plural, as in “society” — ever learn from history?  I’m the great-grandaughter of a union organizer, never met him, but I heard many times from my mother how much she enjoyed hearing about fighting for workers rights, his stories of working with Debs, and when she talked about that, she lit up with pride and I’d guess, DUH, that is where I got a lot of my world view  (My father also told stories about being a kid and sneaking out during the trucker’s strike, hanging out at Hiawatha-Lake as bullets were flying.).   She was better at believing her beliefs than living them, oh, I could tell you stories, but did support my education, from way, way back, from the pre-kindergarten days of going to the library filling the back seat with books to get me through the week, and I’m feeling like it’s time to dig back and learn more about that GREAT great-grandfather of mine.

Today I got this email from Guy Wolf, with a link to an Assembly session recording, and am listening to this as I type, and am so appalled about what’s going on in Wisconsin, by the unprecedented anti-democratic acts of the Republicans in power.   IN THE ASSEMBLY EVEN — OH MY DOG!

Kudos to Rep. Peter Barca, Minority Leader from the 64th District, Kenosha, WOW, he is telling it as it was.  And Rep. Gordon Hintz, from Oshkosh, what an eloquent statement, and Rep. Roy… (all their contact info here) this is something everyone should see.   Click the link (it’s below in Guy’s email too) for

02.18.11 | Assembly Floor Session (Part 4)

The Republican majority started the meeting without the Democrats, BEFORE THE DESIGNATED TIME TO START, and started passing amendments without them!

Rep. Corey Mason:

“Being in the majority doesn’t mean that you can take away people’s freedom”

Here’s the email from Guy:

Dozens of family, friends, have Emailed me asking what is happening in the State of WI at this moment in history. Without partisanship, without rancor, without comment, I ask that you observe one video, not of protestors, not of political pundits, but simply 40 minutes of time in the WI Legislature.

Greetings!

Yesterday, at approximately 4:55pm on Friday February 18th, a historic moment took place on the floor of the WI State Assembly (January 2011 Special Session of the Legislature).  I highly recommend you view the video, that you purchase the video and disseminate it to teachers, faculty, staff, to educators across the State of WI and beyond. Because the video has contractual rights that you must agree too, I strongly suggest you agree to those rights,  The video is historic It will be remembered in WI and US History. Please post and repost.

Sincerely,

Guy Wolf,

http://wiseye.org/Programming/VideoArchive/EventDetail.aspx?evhdid=3759

The video is the 4th posted video on the page, It is listed as 2.18.11

Yesterday, I also received an email, even more disturbing… there was a call, well email, to turn out people for a Town Meeting held by the Rep. at the district next door, Rep. Steve Drazkowski is holding a Town Hall meeting in Plainview today, from 2-4.  Here’s what the email said:

Just the kind of press we all love, getting ejected from a hearing for calling the other side on their “crap.” In a criminal case, the prosecutor is required to turn over everything they’ve got against the defendant. The prosecutor hasn’t, and yet the judge seems to think it’s OK to go forward without it, and that it’s a problem to object.  EH???? So there’s Tom, defending his client and their right to get the info, and the judge is telling him to shut up.  AND THEN THE PHONE RINGS!!!  Oh great… (hope the phone tune was a good one!)

Back at Clean Water Action, I learned from exchanging spitballs in board meetings that Dunnwald has an attitude a lot like mine, and he’s had some great legal successes in the shit-strewn land use area of feedlots. And he represented my buddy Victor in the Northfield shit-storm mess.  Yes, there’s a theme.  And he’s one of the few attorneys I’d recommend.  That’s Tom Dunnwald, partner of the equally talented Sonja Peterson, hence Dunnwald & Peterson!

Here’s the article about yesterday’s hearing, it was copied in the STrib.

YOU GO, TOM!!!

Attorney’s outburst halts hearing

February 17, 2011

By Dan Nienaber The Mankato Free Press
Thu Feb 17, 2011, 08:20 PM CST

MANKATO — A court hearing scheduled for an alleged drug dealer came to a quick end Thursday when his attorney was kicked out of the courtroom.

It didn’t take long for tension to build during the hearing for 32-year-old Cedric Lamont Berry. He is facing racketeering and drug charges for allegedly using gang connections to sell cocaine in Mankato. He was one of several people arrested after a Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force investigation last fall.

District Court Judge Kurt Johnson showed his first sign of irritation when Berry’s attorney, Thomas Dunnwald, said he wasn’t ready to argue his motion. Dunnwald said he wasn’t getting the evidence he needed from Chris Rovney, assistant Blue Earth County attorney.

A task force report was short dozens of pages that had been turned over to attorneys working for other defendants in the case, Dunnwald said. He also said he was waiting for a recorded interview Berry had with Hennepin County investigators, which took place after Berry’s arrest in Minneapolis.

Dunnwald’s argument came to an abrupt halt when his cell phone received a call. And Johnson just stared as the phone played its tune. After fumbling through his jacket pocket for a few seconds, Dunnwald eventually silenced the digital music.

Things got worse after Johnson asked Rovney to explain why Dunnwald hadn’t been given the information he needed. Rovney was explaining that the recording, which allegedly includes Berry saying he can sell large amounts of cocaine, isn’t clear. Rovney said he would provide a copy of the DVD after the sound is enhanced.

“The defendant is a mumbler,” Rovney said.

Dunnwald stood up, waived his arm toward Rovney and barked at Johnson.

“This is utter crap,” he said. “Never in court have I seen this.”

As a bailiff made his way toward the attorney, Johnson told him to calm down.

“Mr. Dunnwald, sit down and be quiet or I will have a bailiff remove you,” Johnson said.

Dunnwald said he would remove himself. Johnson said he should.

“Are you ordering me out?”

“I’m ordering you out. Go ahead.”

Once Dunnwald was gone, Johnson told Rovney to turn over a copy of the recording as soon as possible. Rovney said this isn’t the first time the two attorneys have butted heads while on opposite sides of a case.

Johnson said they needed to find a way to get along before ending the hearing.

“It’s not Mr. Berry’s fault that you two don’t get along,” he said.

Today Gov. Mark Dayton proposes a step towards equalization of tax rates, inching up income tax rates of wealthier people.  Now isn’t it time they were fully raised to the same percentage that poor people have to pay?  The increase will result in small increases for those with incomes, still a ways to go to equity! But this is a good step in the right direction for Dayton, after some… errrrrrr… misteps, capitulations, bad moves? Salvation perhaps! Here we go! Let the whining begin…

Impacts of tax rate change – downloaded from STrib site

Gov. Dayton’s budget bill HERE!

And more good news — today the Capitol of Madison was shut down by 15,000 protesting Gov. Wingnut Walker’s union busting, this is the same guy who pulled the plug on the high speed train to Chicago:

What’s disgusting?  Union busting!

How much good news can a person take in one day?