Scott Greenfield

New York

Writer at LexBlog

Criminal defense lawyer, blawger at Simple Justice. I'm still not on your team.

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Articles

When Did The Feds Become Omnipotent (And Should They Be)?

1 week ago | blog.simplejustice.us | Scott Greenfield

A mayor. A congresswoman. A judge. A senator. And now, the New York City Comptroller and candidate for mayor. There is a response to the government’s actions against all of them, that no one is above the law, which is both objectively false and subjectively simplistic. Each of these situations was different, involved different legal issues and raised different questions of culpability.
Tuesday Talk*: What’s To Stop The President From Violating Court Orders?

1 week ago | blog.simplejustice.us | Scott Greenfield

Buried in the House version of the most Trumpian-named omnibus reconciliation bill ever, the “Big Beautiful Bill,” was that dubious nugget that would preclude courts from holding the government in contempt for violating court orders. The Senate was having nothing of it, and seized the opportunity to take the House’s ham-handed effort and . . . make it worse.
The Democrats’ Divide

1 week ago | blog.simplejustice.us | Scott Greenfield

It was beyond absurd that the Democratic National Committee believed it was a good idea, having just lost to Trump, to make David Hogg its vice chair. That they believed they were losing the youth vote was understandable. That they believed Hogg was the solution was nuts. Who was this kid, whose only claim to fame was surviving a school shooting?
The Perfect Parade

1 week ago | blog.simplejustice.us | Scott Greenfield

I love a parade. I love the Memorial Day Parade they hold every year in the hamlet, with firetrucks and classic cars, marching bands and little league teams, more firetrucks and a fellow dressed like Uncle Sam on stilts handing out American flags. It lasts almost a half hour, as we sit with our friends, our kids, the dogs, and sip morning coffee. I love it. It is quintessential Americana.
Seaton: In Which My Father-In-Law Turns 80

2 weeks ago | blog.simplejustice.us | Scott Greenfield

Greetings, denizens of the SJ Hotel! Your humble humorist, Chris Seaton, is back to sling a tale of familial chaos, and this week we’re trudging north to the soggy hills of Vermont for my father-in-law’s 80th birthday. Buckle up, because this trip was less “Norman Rockwell” and more “Hunter S. Thompson with a side of steak tips.”So, I fled the blessed warmth of Knoxville for the Green Mountain State, where the air smells like damp flannel and socialism.
Judge Breyer Finds No “Rebellion”

2 weeks ago | blog.simplejustice.us | Scott Greenfield

President Donald Trump said there was an invasion. Judge Fernando Rodriguez held otherwise. President Donald Trump said there was a rebellion. Judge Charles Breyer held otherwise. Trump’s use of these extreme and hyperbolic words didn’t reflect his usual challenges with the use of the language, but were explicitly chosen to enable him to invoke laws intended for extreme circumstances that gave the president extreme emergency powers.
Short Take: The Matter Of Proof

2 weeks ago | blog.simplejustice.us | Scott Greenfield

As Jacob Sullum over at Reason tells it, Penny McCarthy tried her best to tell government agents who she was, and accordingly, who she wasn’t. She had all the usual papers, but none of that mattered. The marshals decided she was Carole Rozak, who had a warrant for arrest for failure to report 25 years earlier, and confirming that the woman they seized was the woman who was wanted was not their problem.
The Generals’ Conundrum

2 weeks ago | blog.simplejustice.us | Scott Greenfield

It was a shrewd move by Trump to replace the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Whether the new choices were more loyal to Trump than to the Constitution is unknown, but the message was clear. Trump would not tolerate general staff that would pull a Milley, tell him what he didn’t want to hear such as it being wrong to shoot protesters in the legs.
Tuesday Talk*: Should Trump Be Allowed To Punish The AP?

2 weeks ago | blog.simplejustice.us | Scott Greenfield

One of the really good things about the Trump administration is that it rarely leaves anyone in doubt about why it does things. When Karoline Leavitt (no, I will not join the chorus of people calling her “Bullshit Barbie”) announced that the Associated Press was banned from pressers in the Oval or on Air Force 1, the American or Qatar flavor, the reason was clear, leaving no doubt for the D.C. Circuit in reaching its conclusion.
Will The Fuse Be Lit?

2 weeks ago | openlegalblogarchive.org | Scott Greenfield

Like anyone else trying to watch Eva Longoria’s new CNN show about food in Spain, I saw the images of cars burning, scooters being thrown onto police cars on the road below, street signed torn out, graffiti painted and flags of terrorism being proudly waved by the standard issue lefties desperately seeking to get back into the fight game. Like you, I remember the George Floyd “most peaceful” riots with buildings aflame in the background.