Tuesday, August 31, 2021
A Brutal Masterpiece Blow-After-Blow: Trump-Loving Stunt Lawyering Has Consequences (Please be advised this post contains strong and explicit language)
Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, And A Bunch Of Other Trump-Loving Lawyers Hit With Sanctions In Michigan
from the these-assholes-deserve-everything-coming-to-them dept
Here's just to get you off to a soft start and to encourage you read the details You can't have it both ways. Powell is now being sanctioned, along with several other lawyers (including L. Lin Wood) who participated in this harmful waste of government resources. The sanctions order [PDF] is a brutal masterpiece. It runs 110 pages and it details everything wrong about Powell's actions and allegations. Someone give Judge Linda Parker a raise. . .
This is the opening paragraph, which gives the reader a pretty good idea how the rest of the order is going to run. If that reader is one of the lawyers being sanctioned, this paragraph is a swift punch to the solar plexus. Unfortunately for those particular readers, it's only the first blow in a sustained, impeccably delivered beating.
This lawsuit represents a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process. It is one thing to take on the charge of vindicating rights associated with an allegedly fraudulent election. It is another to take on the charge of deceiving a federal court and the American people into believing that rights were infringed, without regard to whether any laws or rights were in fact violated. This is what happened here. . .
> Blow after blow.
The sanctity of both the courtroom and the litigation process are preserved only when attorneys adhere to this oath and follow the rules, and only when courts impose sanctions when attorneys do not. And despite the haze of confusion, commotion, and chaos counsel intentionally attempted to create by filing this lawsuit, one thing is perfectly clear: Plaintiffs’ attorneys have scorned their oath, flouted the rules, and attempted to undermine the integrity of the judiciary along the way. . .
> This is directed at Powell and her defamation lawsuit defense:
It is not acceptable to support a lawsuit with opinions, which counsel herself claims no reasonable person would accept as fact and which were “inexact,” “exaggerate[ed],” and “hyperbole.” Nor is it acceptable to use the federal judiciary as a political forum to satisfy one’s political agenda. Such behavior by an attorney in a court of law has consequences. Although the First Amendment may allow Plaintiffs’ counsel to say what they desire on social media, in press conferences, or on television, federal courts are reserved for hearing genuine legal disputes which are well-grounded in fact and law.
> Then there's L. Lin Wood. He claims he shouldn't even be facing sanctions because he was not officially part of this lawsuit. . .
> Other attorneys trying desperately to distance themselves from this lawsuit now that it's sanctionable fare no better. Emily Newman claimed she only spent about "five hours" on the lawsuit and performed that work at home. So what? asks the court. . .
> The same goes for Gregory Rohl, whose argument that he didn't spend much time on the lawsuit completely backfires. . .
> Also sanctionable was the lawyers' refusal to dismiss the lawsuit once it had become moot. The legal theory cited isn't actually legal.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys maintain that this lawsuit was no longer moot after December 14 because three Plaintiffs subjectively believed that they had become electors. The attorneys cite no authority supporting the notion that an individual’s “[personal] opinion” that he or she is an elector is sufficient to support the legal position that the individual is in fact an elector. Of course, such a belief is contrary to how electors are appointed in Michigan.
This refusal resulted in more filings by those being sued, forcing them to expend time and money to address claims based on nothing more than speculation and a strong desire to return Trump to office. Very sanctionable. . .
> And at this point, we're only halfway through the decision. I suggest you read the whole thing, but here are a few more highlights: ..............................................................................................
> This is brief but brutal:
Plaintiffs alleged that certain acts or events violated the Michigan Election Code when, in fact, they did not.
The affidavits presented as evidence were just as garbage as the allegations:..............................
.........................................................................................................................................................
> And then there's this hysterical First Amendment argument, which is capably dismantled by the judge.
In response to the State Defendants’ supplemental brief, instead of explaining what efforts they undertook to investigate the veracity of the affidavits, Plaintiffs’ attorneys argue that they “never stated that lawyers cannot be held to account.” “Instead,” they argue, the motion to dismiss “justifies lawyers being afforded the same type of Constitutional protections as journalists,” “who . . . would lose the protection afforded to them by the Supreme Court . . . if they were ‘drawn into long court battles designed to deconstruct the accuracy of sources on which they rely.’”
Attorneys are not journalists. It therefore comes as no surprise that Plaintiffs’ attorneys fail to cite a single case suggesting that the two professions share comparable duties and responsibilities. Perhaps this confused understanding as to the job of an attorney, and what the law says about the attendant duties and obligations, is what led Plaintiffs’ counsel to simply copy and paste affidavits from prior lawsuits. Perhaps not. But what is certain is that Plaintiffs’ counsel will not escape accountability for their failure to conduct due diligence before recycling affidavits from other cases to support their pleadings here. . .
> Here's everyone that's affected by this sanction order, as listed on the Michigan attorney general's website:
Sidney Powell - Texas;
L. Lin Wood - Georgia;
Emily Newman - Virginia;
Julia Z. Haller - the District of Columbia, Maryland, New York and New Jersey;
Brandon Johnson - the District of Columbia, New York, and Nevada;
Scott Hagerstrom - Michigan;
Howard Kleinhendler - New York and New Jersey;
Gregory Rohl - Michigan; and
Stefanie Lynn Junttila - Michigan.On top of this, other lawyers engaged in similar "election fraud" lawsuits are being hit with sanctions in Colorado. And the Texas Office of the Chief Disciplinary counsel is now looking into stripping Powell of her license.
Good. Fuck these guys.
> They decided to turn a sore loser's wild ass claims into legal proceedings, relying on a choir of the converted to provide supporting "evidence."
> And they refused to back down, even when the Department of Justice itself (while still headed by Bill Barr) found no evidence of election fraud.
> They played to the base and lost.
> They catered to conspiracy theorists and Trump loyalists that coalesced in a raid of the Capitol building in hopes of preventing certification of election results -- a raid that culminated in several deaths and several hundred criminal prosecutions.
Stunt lawyering has real consequences. These attorneys will now be paying the legal fees and costs incurred by the multiple Michigan government entities that were forced to defend themselves from this baseless lawsuit.
Filed Under: elections, fraud, kraken, lin wood, sanctions, sidney powell
Companies: dominion
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'They All Wanted To Believe' . . .“It was an incredibly alluring narrative that everyone wanted to believe.”
‘Selling a promise’: what Silicon Valley learned from the fall of Theranos
The company’s collapse has changed the startup environment, but some say the industry still hasn’t faced a ‘true reckoning’
Last modified on Mon 30 Aug 2021 01.02 EDT
Changing times
When Holmes was rising to power, tech companies were still seen as innovators that were largely benefiting society, said O’Mara. Bolstered by organizers’ use of technology platforms in events like the Arab spring and Occupy Wall Street, there was an overarching narrative that Silicon Valley was connecting the world and promoting democracy.
“This was a time when companies could say they were making the world a better place and most people believed them,” O’Mara said.
Startups from an array of industries were able to hop on Silicon Valley’s hype train, adopting its ethos of “move fast and break things”. Theranos was primarily a medical device company, while WeWork – another industry darling – was at its core real estate firm selling office space.
A decade later, the startup environment has decidedly changed. Revelations like the Cambridge Analytica scandal have eroded trust in big tech. Legislators and the public are increasingly questioning the monopoly power some major tech companies hold. Social platforms were largely blamed for the rise of Donald Trump and his stunning victory in the 2016 election.
“That’s when the whole conversation around social media and more broadly the tech sector started turning sideways,” O’Mara said. “There started to be more skepticism about what exactly these companies were promising.”
. . .“Healthy skepticism has evolved into complete mistrust,”
. . .The outcome of the case will be huge for startup culture, Carreyrou, the journalist, said. “There has long been a culture of faking it until you make it in Silicon Valley, and Holmes is a product of that culture,” he said.
“To reform that – to change Silicon Valley – it is going to take a conviction.”
TAKE THE TIME TO READ THE DETAILS > https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/aug/30/elizabeth-holmes-trial-theranos-silicon-valley
EYE ON GOVERNMENT: City of Mesa Housing & Community Development Board
Mesa residents are invited to participate in the process of City of Mesa government. Housing & Community Development Advisory Board
6:00 PM
City Council Chambers - Lower Level
57 E. First Street, Mesa, AZ
The next Housing and Community Development Advisory Board meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept 2, 2021 at 6:00 pm.
| Meeting Date | Document Title | Meeting Type | Document Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/6/2021 | May 6, 2021 Agenda | Regular | Agendas |  |
| 5/6/2021 | May 6, 2021 Results | Regular | Results | |
Board Members
| Role: | Board Member: | Date Appointed: | Term Expires: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair - Community Rep | Johanna Richards | 07/03/18 | 06/30/21 |
| Vice-Chair - Community Rep | Mara Benson | 07/01/19 | 06/30/22 |
| Manufactured Housing Rep | Susan Brenton | 08/16/18 | 06/30/21 |
| Financial Rep | Derek Brosemann | 07/01/19 | 06/30/22 |
| Single-Family Housing Development Rep | Chad Cluff | 07/01/19 | 06/30/22 |
| Non-Profit Provider Rep | Kevin Humphrey | 05/07/20 | 06/30/23 |
| Community Rep | Nicolle Karantinos | 11/12/20 | 06/30/23 |
| Special Needs Provider Rep | Monique Kennedy | 07/02/19 | 06/30/21 |
| Community Rep | Mark Powell | 07/01/19 | 06/30/22 |
| Community Rep | Shelley Reimann | 07/01/20 | 06/30/23 |
| Community Rep | Vacant |
Staff Liaison
Jessica Morales, Program Assistant
480-644-3024
Incentivize the removal of exclusionary zoning and harmful land use policies. For decades, exclusionary zoning laws – like minimum lot sizes, mandatory parking requirements, and prohibitions on multifamily housing – have inflated housing and construction costs and locked families out of areas with more opportunities. President Biden’s plan seeks to help jurisdictions reduce barriers to producing affordable housing and expand housing choices for people with low or moderate incomes. The American Jobs Plan will create a $5 billion incentive program that awards flexible and attractive funding to jurisdictions that take concrete steps to reduce barriers to affordable housing production.Establish an energy efficiency and resilience retrofit program for multifamily housing. Most HUD-assisted housing was built decades ago and is less energy efficient and resilient than modern technologies and practices allow. As most of these properties lack the resources to update to higher standards, the American Jobs Plan would provide $500 million in grants and low-interest loans to help renovate tens of thousands of multifamily homes, making them more energy and water efficient and more resilient to extreme weather events. Research suggests these investments could save utility costs and create healthier indoor environments for residents.Revitalize the physical assets that build community connectedness and spark innovation. Across the country, too many low-income communities and communities of color have suffered from years of disinvestment. The American Jobs Plan proposes investing $10 billion to support community-led redevelopment projects that create innovative shared amenities, spark new economic activity, provide services, build community wealth, and strengthen social cohesion. The proposed Community Revitalization Fund would support a wide range of transformational places to work and gather, including but not limited to: upgrading access to natural areas, restoring vacant buildings to provide low-cost space for services and community entrepreneurs, and removing toxic waste and building new parks, greenways, and community gardens.Produce and preserve more than one million housing units. Affordable housing development often requires multiple public subsidies to become financially feasible. The Biden-Harris Administration is proposing a historic $35 billion investment in HUD’s HOME Investment Partnership program and a $45 billion investment in the Housing Trust Fund to address housing needs in communities across the country. Together with an expansion of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and an innovative new tax credit through the Neighborhood Homes investment Act, these funds will produce and preserve more than one million affordable, sustainable places to live for low-, very-low, and extremely-low income families. The American Jobs Plan would also restore project-based rental assistance for privately-owned rental housing with an initial $2 billion investment, extending housing opportunities to even more communities. - Address longstanding public housing capital needs. Nearly two million people across the country live in public housing—families with children, older Americans, and people with disabilities. Like roads, schools, and power grids, public housing is critical infrastructure that directly impacts the health and viability of our communities. Yet nearly half of the nearly 1 million units of public housing are over 50 years old and many contain lead paint, mold, and other health hazards. The American Jobs Plan calls for a transformative investment of $40 billion to rehabilitate and preserve public housing, addressing residents’ critical health and safety concerns. This is not just a safety issue but a racial justice issue, as approximately three in four public housing residents are people of color
26 May 2021
FACT SHEET: The American Jobs Plan Will Provide HUD with New Resources to Strengthen Communities, Expand Access to Affordable Housing, and Create Jobs
PRESS RELEASE The American Jobs Plan Will Provide the Department of Housing and Urban Development with New Resources to Strengthen Communities, Expand Access to Affordable Housing, and Create Jobs
• Expand housing throughout Mesa for persons of all incomes and needs. • Ensure the current inventory of housing is healthy, maintained and safe.
• Prioritize federal funding housing strategies that include reducing homelessness and promoting homeownership.
• Seek partnerships to leverage housing development
Guiding Principle: Expand Housing throughout Mesa for Persons of All Incomes and Needs
Consider housing types and locations when planning citywide infrastructure needs and resources. > USE DATA TO BALANCE TYPE/LOCATION HOUSING: Use housing inventory as one indicator when considering infill projects, or to consider ‘balance’ of type/location of new housing needs citywide. > IDENTIFY ATTAINABLE HOUSING STRATEGIES AND INCENTIVES: Work with internal departments, developers and the community to identify housing strategies that are attainable for residents of all incomes in Mesa that is presented for action by the City Council. > STRATEGY FOR DOWNTOWN CORRIDOR: Create a housing guideline strategy specific to downtown Mesa, using housing stats/data and also plans for the Central Main Plan, > CONNECT BUSINESS NEEDS TO EXECUTIVE AND WORKFORCE HOUSING: Increase efforts to attract more executive and workforce housing to align with existing and new business/industry needs> PARTNER WITH NON-PROFITS TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND WRAP-AROUND SERVICES: Work with local non-profit and other agencies to identify plans and resources to build new affordable housing, bridge housing, etc. to meet citywide needs and to ensure connections to healthy community ideals, i.e. connections to transit, shopping, schools, parks, walkable areas. Increase the number of multi-family housing development owners/operators to work with the City for Section 8 housing. > NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: Continue to use federal funds and cross-departmental efforts to pursue data-driven approaches to strengthen and enhance challenged neighborhoods. Continue to strengthen neighborhood leadership and to encourage neighborhood engagement and to build a sense of community, connection, pride and safety. > REHAB AGING HOUSING STOCK: Increase federal funding allocations to the City’s rehabilitation program to continue addressing needs of aging housing stock. Identify priorities to purchase and rehab i.e. duplexes, fourplexes for resale to eligible families and to strengthen neighborhoods.> INVENTORY AND PLAN FOR MANUFACTURED HOUSING CITYWIDE: Identify all mobile home, manufactured housing communities in Mesa as well as their age and conditions.
• OPTIMIZE AND LEVERAGE HUD FUNDING:
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 – Direct Aid To Education, Healthcare And Other Sectors May Indirectly Benefit State And Local Governments
January 14, 2021 https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-consolidated-appropriations-act-8660575/
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “Act”) supplements the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020 (the “CARES Act”) by providing approximately $900 billion in additional federal aid to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The Act excludes state and local governments from direct financial relief, a major sticking point in the final weeks of negotiation. Nevertheless, the Act’s targeted aid to particular sectors, including K-12 and higher education, healthcare, transportation and housing, should provide some aid to state and local governments, albeit indirectly, as highlighted below
Housing
- The Act extends the CDC’s residential eviction moratorium until January 31, 2021 and provides $25 billion in additional emergency rental assistance.
- The Act also establishes a 4% floor rate for calculating the low income housing tax credit (LIHTC), a federal subsidy used in financing the acquisition, construction and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing for low- and moderate-income tenants.
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