Patrick G. Barkman
@barkmanlaw.bsky.social
(He/Him) Criminal defense attorney licensed in Colorado, Texas and the Cherokee Nation, 5th Cir., 10th Cir. This isn't legal advice.
https://johnjoynerlaw.com/?utm_campaign=gmb
https://johnjoynerlaw.com/?utm_campaign=gmb
Pinned
“To be an effective criminal defense counsel, an attorney must be prepared to be demanding, outrageous, irreverent, blasphemous, a rogue, a renegade, and a hated, isolated, and lonely person - few love a spokesman for the despised and the damned.”--Clarence Darrow
Tie of the day
January 15, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Tie of the day
Reposted by Patrick G. Barkman
HAPPENING NOW: In federal court in MN, DOJ is struggling to articulate why a person following an ICE vehicle — so long as they are obeying traffic laws — can be stopped for "reasonable suspicion" of a crime.
Judge Menendez sharply questioning that contention.
Judge Menendez sharply questioning that contention.
January 13, 2026 at 4:28 PM
HAPPENING NOW: In federal court in MN, DOJ is struggling to articulate why a person following an ICE vehicle — so long as they are obeying traffic laws — can be stopped for "reasonable suspicion" of a crime.
Judge Menendez sharply questioning that contention.
Judge Menendez sharply questioning that contention.
Tie of the day
January 14, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Tie of the day
Reposted by Patrick G. Barkman
Denver City Council considers proposed ban on face coverings for ICE agents, other officers trib.al/vd3rOQi
Denver considers ban on face coverings for ICE agents in council proposal
“Federal law enforcement agents operating in Denver have increasingly worn opaque face coverings that obscure identity while conducting arrests and detentions,” according to a council slide deck.…
trib.al
January 12, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Denver City Council considers proposed ban on face coverings for ICE agents, other officers trib.al/vd3rOQi
Tie of the day
January 12, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Tie of the day
Reposted by Patrick G. Barkman
Jury duty today. I seek to answer the question: Why do people hate jury duty?
7:30 and chastised for bringing a water bottle—which is allowed in the jury instructions.
And had my backpack thoroughly searched. And wallet.
7:30 and chastised for bringing a water bottle—which is allowed in the jury instructions.
And had my backpack thoroughly searched. And wallet.
January 12, 2026 at 1:28 PM
Jury duty today. I seek to answer the question: Why do people hate jury duty?
7:30 and chastised for bringing a water bottle—which is allowed in the jury instructions.
And had my backpack thoroughly searched. And wallet.
7:30 and chastised for bringing a water bottle—which is allowed in the jury instructions.
And had my backpack thoroughly searched. And wallet.
Reposted by Patrick G. Barkman
So, to help illustrate why this thread is so horrifying, Stanford did a study on Lexis+ AI, Westlaw AI-Assisted Research, and Thomson-Reuters Ask Practical Law AI, and found between 17% and 33% hallucinations even though these are supposed to be the retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) tools.
January 8, 2026 at 8:29 PM
So, to help illustrate why this thread is so horrifying, Stanford did a study on Lexis+ AI, Westlaw AI-Assisted Research, and Thomson-Reuters Ask Practical Law AI, and found between 17% and 33% hallucinations even though these are supposed to be the retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) tools.
Reposted by Patrick G. Barkman
NOTE! My train home got stuck in the tunnel coming out of NYC for about an hour (w/ no cell and spotty wifi) and I was working to get out my exclusive — www.lawdork.com/p/100-days-o... — and then I came home and now I’m resting for a moment, but I do know there is more yet to cover from today.
100 days of Kavanaugh stops and the justices who silently allowed them — and a bill to change that
The Shadow Docket Sunlight Act is being introduced on Wednesday. And, Justice Kavanaugh still isn't saying if he's having second thoughts on his September opinion.
www.lawdork.com
December 17, 2025 at 10:33 PM
NOTE! My train home got stuck in the tunnel coming out of NYC for about an hour (w/ no cell and spotty wifi) and I was working to get out my exclusive — www.lawdork.com/p/100-days-o... — and then I came home and now I’m resting for a moment, but I do know there is more yet to cover from today.
Tie of the day
December 13, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Tie of the day
Tie of the day
December 12, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Tie of the day
Tie of the day
December 10, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Tie of the day
Reposted by Patrick G. Barkman
Law schools should offer advanced grammar & semantics classes taught by grammar & semantic PhD’s. If some already do, then I’ll say, “More law schools…” We lawyers sort through words for a living. We should be able to better label how they fit together.
Any book that gives a grammar & semantics refresh. Complex statutes often have complex grammar. The lawyer who can name what’s going on grammatically has an advantage. One oft-cited key reference is Huddleston & Pullum, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, Cambridge University Press (2002)
December 9, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Law schools should offer advanced grammar & semantics classes taught by grammar & semantic PhD’s. If some already do, then I’ll say, “More law schools…” We lawyers sort through words for a living. We should be able to better label how they fit together.
Reposted by Patrick G. Barkman
Man arrested, accused of robbing Tulsa liquor store with antique gun
Man arrested, accused of robbing liquor store with antique gun
The Tulsa Police Department arrested a man accused of robbing a south Tulsa liquor store with an antique gun on Friday night.
www.fox23.com
December 9, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Man arrested, accused of robbing Tulsa liquor store with antique gun
Tie of the day
December 8, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Tie of the day
Reposted by Patrick G. Barkman
The entire debate over birthright citizenship is anti-constitutional because the purpose, intent, and text of the 14th Amendment were designed to foreclose any argument about who counts as an American citizen.
December 5, 2025 at 6:54 PM
The entire debate over birthright citizenship is anti-constitutional because the purpose, intent, and text of the 14th Amendment were designed to foreclose any argument about who counts as an American citizen.
Tie of the day
December 3, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Tie of the day
Tie of the day
December 3, 2025 at 1:52 AM
Tie of the day
Reposted by Patrick G. Barkman
A federal judge last week blocked ICE from making indiscriminate arrests without a warrant in Colorado, in a case brought by @acluofcolorado.bsky.social.
The Trump administration can't arrest people because of our skin color, accent, or perceived nationality in order to fulfill arrest quotas.
The Trump administration can't arrest people because of our skin color, accent, or perceived nationality in order to fulfill arrest quotas.
ICE conduct in Colorado "unlawful”: Federal judge restricts how immigration officers can arrest people in the state
The ruling is a win in federal court for ACLU, Colorado law firms who sued ICE to stop “indiscriminate” arrests and detentions
coloradosun.com
December 1, 2025 at 8:52 PM
A federal judge last week blocked ICE from making indiscriminate arrests without a warrant in Colorado, in a case brought by @acluofcolorado.bsky.social.
The Trump administration can't arrest people because of our skin color, accent, or perceived nationality in order to fulfill arrest quotas.
The Trump administration can't arrest people because of our skin color, accent, or perceived nationality in order to fulfill arrest quotas.
Today's Rant: I shouldn't have to explain to a prosecutor what a plea bargain is.
Hint: it is NOT "your client pleads guilty to the charged offense so I don't have to bother with a jury trial and in exchange he gets nothing."
Hint: it is NOT "your client pleads guilty to the charged offense so I don't have to bother with a jury trial and in exchange he gets nothing."
November 26, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Today's Rant: I shouldn't have to explain to a prosecutor what a plea bargain is.
Hint: it is NOT "your client pleads guilty to the charged offense so I don't have to bother with a jury trial and in exchange he gets nothing."
Hint: it is NOT "your client pleads guilty to the charged offense so I don't have to bother with a jury trial and in exchange he gets nothing."
Reposted by Patrick G. Barkman
Update: Despite the best efforts of the local prosecutor, Duncan is getting out as I type this.
First day of freedom in three decades.
Here’s a text from his aunt.
First day of freedom in three decades.
Here’s a text from his aunt.
November 26, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Update: Despite the best efforts of the local prosecutor, Duncan is getting out as I type this.
First day of freedom in three decades.
Here’s a text from his aunt.
First day of freedom in three decades.
Here’s a text from his aunt.
Reposted by Patrick G. Barkman
Juries are not perfect.
Many of the worst miscarriages of justice have followed jury trials.
But the merit of juries is not so much the power they have, but the power they prevent others from having.
They mean a judge cannot just nod-along with prosecution evidence and give a guilty verdict.
Many of the worst miscarriages of justice have followed jury trials.
But the merit of juries is not so much the power they have, but the power they prevent others from having.
They mean a judge cannot just nod-along with prosecution evidence and give a guilty verdict.
November 25, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Juries are not perfect.
Many of the worst miscarriages of justice have followed jury trials.
But the merit of juries is not so much the power they have, but the power they prevent others from having.
They mean a judge cannot just nod-along with prosecution evidence and give a guilty verdict.
Many of the worst miscarriages of justice have followed jury trials.
But the merit of juries is not so much the power they have, but the power they prevent others from having.
They mean a judge cannot just nod-along with prosecution evidence and give a guilty verdict.