L.A. Weekly Article on Yagman Trial
The L.A. Weekly has an article about the Yagman trial, and I have a couple of quotes:
“I have no doubt Yagman and his lawyer are going to make a circus out of this trial,” says Patrick Frey, a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney who operates the influential legal-community Web site Patterico.com — and who dis-trusts Yagman. “They’re going to make it a David-versus-Goliath thing.”
I have no reason to believe that I was misquoted, but now that I see that statement in print, I realize that it doesn’t quite reflect my true view. I believe that Yagman and his lawyer will try to make the trial a circus — placing the focus on Yagman’s adversarial relationship with the federal government, rather than on the evidence of Yagman’s shady financial dealings — but I doubt Judge Wilson will allow it to become a circus.
(By the way, calling this site “influential” definitely torpedoes the credibility of the article! Reporter Patrick McDonald obviously doesn’t read ThinkProgress, or he would know that this site is not “influential” — it’s obscure.)
In 1994, Yagman grabbed headlines when he publicly derided U.S. District Judge William Keller as a “drunk” and an “anti-Semite.” As a result, he was suspended from practicing law by a federal Standing Committee on Discipline. In typical Yagman style, he fought back vociferously. The committee’s decision was reversed a year later — on the grounds of free speech.
At the time, now–Assistant D.A. Frey, a.k.a. “Patterico,” worked for Keller as a law clerk. “Yagman clearly said untrue things,” says Frey. “It was part of a pattern that he would say outrageous things about conservative judges so he could get them to recuse themselves for his civil rights cases — and then get liberal judges” to oversee his cases, often against police.
That’s definitely an accurate quote. That’s what the guy does.
The article also quotes me as praising Judge Wilson with an almost Harriet-Miers-like devotion. You’ll have to click through for that quote.
All in all, interesting stuff. It’s one of the few articles about the trial that I have seen anywhere. With the coverage Yagman has gotten in the past, I’m surprised that the L.A. Times isn’t covering it extensively.
Or am I?
Or am I?
Rick Wilcox (bb4b76) — 5/31/2007 @ 8:27 amWhy do I see Patterico-as-parallel-universe-Spock stroking his goatee?
Maybe the LAT likes Yagman? After all, he paints himself as a people’s hero type, and LAT won’t cover it unless they can denounce the Bush administration with it. I’m glad LAW is picking up the slack–and quoting the right people.
Patricia (824fa1) — 5/31/2007 @ 9:28 amO/T: thought I’d post this for all the Michael Connelly fans. He’ll read and sign his new book on Sunday in Northridge. (Former LAT crime reporter and Harry Bosch author.)
What: Michael Connelly reads and signs copies of his latest book, “The Overlook.”
When: Sunday, June 3 at 7 p.m.
Where: Borders
Vermont Neighbor (a385c8) — 5/31/2007 @ 9:40 am9301 Tampa Avenue
Northridge, CA 91324
(818) 886-5443
Yagman is garbage. If there is justice in the world, he will be bunking with a very large man named Bubba in the federal pen in the not so distant future.
The Ghost of Venice (dde475) — 5/31/2007 @ 4:51 pmWhat do you have against poor Bubba?
nk (18bd9c) — 5/31/2007 @ 5:02 pmJudge Stephen Wilson? I like and respect him. But I cannot shake my experience of when I first laid eyes upon him. the scene: A field trip from UCLA law (and you have to love a field trip in graduate school) to law and motion day in Judge Wilson’s courtroom. I was just about to start a pleasant nap when Judge Wilson asked the attorney at the podium if that was the sum total of all his causes of action. [a Drexel-Burnham “clean-up” case – one of many] As the attorney thought, another member of his team stood up from their table and started to address the judge. Judge Wilson looked over, politely asked “What is your name?” and before the fellow could finish he name, Wilson yelled into his microphone -“SIT DOWN! DON’T SPEAK UNLESS YOU ARE AT THE PODIUM!” or words to that effect. My heartrate spiked up to the point that I thought I would vomit. I didn’t. The Yagman case should be interesting.
Californio (b8f6fc) — 6/1/2007 @ 12:32 amIF…Yagman is convicted, I definitely plan on being in the court room when he is sentenced. AND…I will try to have as many LAPD/SIS alumni present as possible.
JERRY "FROG" LEFROIS (fb3373) — 6/4/2007 @ 9:03 pmAnyone have an update on the trial?
Californio,
Yeah, he controls his courtroom. So did Judge Keller. I like judges like that.
Patterico (eeb415) — 6/4/2007 @ 9:18 pmJerry,
I don’t know how long the trial will be. There is very little reporting on it.
If he’s convicted, it will likely be a while before the sentencing. You’ll have time to plan ahead.
Patterico (eeb415) — 6/4/2007 @ 9:19 pmIf there is justice in the world, he will be bunking with a very large man named Bubba in the federal pen in the not so distant future.
Not funny. We’re better than Bill Lockyer and don’t make jokes about prison rape here.
Patterico (2a65a5) — 6/22/2007 @ 7:44 pmI assume any sex between Yagman and his cellie will be consensual.
sam (dfd7fe) — 6/22/2007 @ 8:48 pm