An effective system of justice ensures accountability for those who violate the law, and engenders trust that judicial decisions will be fair and based on applicable legal principles. At a time when the nation’s trust in our court system has reached an all-time low, it is important to prevent our courts from being weaponized by those who file baseless lawsuits to satisfy personal vendettas.
Although it should not be necessary to publicly applaud judges simply for fulfilling their duties, in these extraordinary times in which we live, we must do so. Public officials at all levels – including our nation’s judges – are doing their jobs in a polarized environment, facing both the glare of constant scrutiny and the fear of frequent threats.
Last week, Federal District Court Judge Donald Middlebrooks issued an order assessing nearly one million dollars in sanctions against Donald Trump and his lawyer, Alina Habba, for a lawsuit filed against 31 individuals and entities, including Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey. The judge began his written opinion with these damning words:
This case should never have been brought. Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start. No reasonable lawyer would have filed it.
In describing the lawsuit as “a hodgepodge of disconnected, often immaterial events, followed by an implausible conclusion,” the judge held the former president and his attorney both jointly liable for the amount awarded. The written decision carefully details the basis for the judge’s findings, offering full transparency that should leave us all feeling pride in the deliberative process that led to the final judgment.
Our colleagues at Lawyers Defending American Democracy have written with precision and clarity about this important decision. We encourage you to read the article in Salon by Dennis Aftergut: A Federal Court Holds Trump Accountable for His Abuse of the Law: Here’s Why That Matters.
We also encourage you to check out our most recent blog post written by Estelle Rogers: Judge Sanctions Trump and His Lawyer for Frivolous “Revenge” Lawsuit, which we have also published on our LinkedIn page.
As always, we invite you to reach out with your comments and ideas. If you have not already done so, we also hope you will sign onto our Democracy Commitment.
And, of course, we are always grateful for your financial contribution.
Signed,
Lawyers Defending American Democracy
