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Princess Turandot

(4,784 posts)
16. From the WaPo folks covering the trial:
Tue Aug 7, 2018, 10:11 PM
Aug 2018

They think that he is accosting the prosecution far more than usual, despite what some other observers are insisting about his style. They are attributing it to his publicly stated view that special prosecutors are a bad idea.


From: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2018/08/07/paul-manafort-trial-day-6-live-coverage
The section is near the end of the article:

9:37 a.m.: Behind judge’s clash with prosecutors, sharp opinions about special counsels

Judge Ellis has clashed repeatedly with prosecutors for Robert S. Mueller III’s special counsel throughout Paul Manafort’s trial, chastising them for introducing evidence he deems irrelevant, spending too much time on some issues and even for showing their frustration in their faces.

Ellis is never shy about telling lawyers what he thinks, but it is rare for him to so aggressively criticize prosecutors in trial. More often, his caustic remarks about wasted time and his interruptions mid-testimony come at a defendant’s expense. More than one defense lawyer has appealed to the Fourth Circuit on those grounds.
...
While he ruled that Mueller did have the authority to bring the charges against Manafort, he added in his opinion that “the wisdom of allowing all links between individuals associated with President Trump’s campaign and the Russian government to be subject to investigation, irrespective of how stale those connections might be, is seriously in doubt.”

The latitude given to special prosecutors is an issue that has long concerned Ellis. In his opinion allowing the Manafort prosecution to go forward, despite his misgivings, he cited a 1997 judicial symposium he helped moderate called, “The Independent Counsel Process: Is It Broken and How Should It Be Fixed?”


I asked before if he had been paid off dhol82 Aug 2018 #1
trump put in place. nt WhiteTara Aug 2018 #9
Really? Are you sure? PJMcK Aug 2018 #32
I reread his bio and no, I'm incorrect on this one. WhiteTara Aug 2018 #38
Seems plausible. onecaliberal Aug 2018 #11
Based on what? (n/t) PJMcK Aug 2018 #33
Based on what I heard that judge needs to be sanctioned or whatever LiberalFighter Aug 2018 #2
What did you hear? PJMcK Aug 2018 #35
It sounds as if he wants to be offered a Judge Judy-type gig. spooky3 Aug 2018 #3
That's exactly what I thought! displacedtexan Aug 2018 #48
The guy sounds like an ass, a grand stander or both. BigmanPigman Aug 2018 #4
If you want something to not be a distraction you can help by ignoring it. n/t PoliticAverse Aug 2018 #5
Barbara McQuade (attorney, now on Rachel's show) is pointing out what is unusual about this spooky3 Aug 2018 #6
Judge stepped way over line in injecting his personal opinion comment about Gates wishstar Aug 2018 #13
I heard that too. Unbelievable. onecaliberal Aug 2018 #20
His behavior is very weird. It makes me nervous. Glimmer of Hope Aug 2018 #7
It worries me too because that fucker could skate. onecaliberal Aug 2018 #10
I'm hoping that the jury will view this as we do. Alexandria is a blue county, spooky3 Aug 2018 #15
Age may have caught up with him. magicarpet Aug 2018 #8
At 78, he could easily be suffering from early stage dementia. Becoming irritable & tblue37 Aug 2018 #31
Either or something ain't quite right there. magicarpet Aug 2018 #47
One of the defense lawyers (I think) said of him: GusBob Aug 2018 #12
The guest just nailed my fear: "the effect on the jury". Yea, his rulings might be correct but UTUSN Aug 2018 #14
"they see a judge berating and screaming almost always at ONE side?!1" - much of that... PoliticAverse Aug 2018 #19
This was said in front of the jury during cross examination of gates by Manafort's attorney. emulatorloo Aug 2018 #24
Yesterday I got troubled by this judge's judicial 'behaviour' in the courtroom. sprinkleeninow Aug 2018 #28
From the WaPo folks covering the trial: Princess Turandot Aug 2018 #16
We'll know better when we see how he treats the defense when they start presenting their case. n/t PoliticAverse Aug 2018 #29
BTW, today he said this, *just before the jury left for the day*... Princess Turandot Aug 2018 #17
Setting the stage? matt819 Aug 2018 #18
Gates isn't on trial, Manafort is and if he's found innocent he clearly cannot be retried. onecaliberal Aug 2018 #21
He's specifically been preventing the prosecution from doing things that might have been appeal-able. PoliticAverse Aug 2018 #22
NO, He's inserting his own answers after the witness speaks. onecaliberal Aug 2018 #25
But the point is only the defense can appeal on these grounds- if he hobbled the defense... bettyellen Aug 2018 #30
I would want to know what his kids or other relatives do. LiberalFighter Aug 2018 #46
It's like a scene from The Verdict MurrayDelph Aug 2018 #23
My law partner got admonished by our judge when she rolled her eyes too. no_hypocrisy Aug 2018 #26
His head was down, not sure how he was able to see an eye roll. onecaliberal Aug 2018 #27
So was hers. But in our case, she also slightly shook her head. no_hypocrisy Aug 2018 #44
Old Lawyer joke. Yes, I'm an old lawyer. TomSlick Aug 2018 #34
Message auto-removed Name removed Aug 2018 #36
This is not what judges do, according to other state attorneys. I will take their word for it. onecaliberal Aug 2018 #37
Judge Ellis is making an ass of himself. Period. oasis Aug 2018 #39
You made me laugh. Short and sweet. sprinkleeninow Aug 2018 #42
I posted this on another thread MontanaMama Aug 2018 #40
Agreed customerserviceguy Aug 2018 #43
My fear is customerserviceguy Aug 2018 #41
A Judge Zobel, in the highly publicized "Au Pair" trial in 1997, let oasis Aug 2018 #45
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