Dennis Maxwell
@dmax12345.bsky.social
Soccer fan; rower; public defender; I army’d for a bit; try to do good because that is the job of a human; teach your kids to, also
I hope you are proud of yourself, and justifiably so. Not for the reasons this troglodyte gives, but for your amazing achievement! You are going to actually contribute to living human knowledge forward, whereas this dude is going to eat chips sitting on his couch being mad.
November 20, 2025 at 9:03 PM
I hope you are proud of yourself, and justifiably so. Not for the reasons this troglodyte gives, but for your amazing achievement! You are going to actually contribute to living human knowledge forward, whereas this dude is going to eat chips sitting on his couch being mad.
And it’s actually unclear from the record if the GJ ever did in fact vote on the two counts it purportedly did indict, nor whether it actually voted to indict if it did vote.
November 19, 2025 at 6:48 PM
And it’s actually unclear from the record if the GJ ever did in fact vote on the two counts it purportedly did indict, nor whether it actually voted to indict if it did vote.
That was apparently marked as though it was a complete no true bill for some reason.
November 19, 2025 at 6:46 PM
That was apparently marked as though it was a complete no true bill for some reason.
This appears to be what happened, and thus the indictment submitted to the court was not actually voted on. Hence it’s a nullity.
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The facts are complicated, but here’s a summary of what appears to have happened based on the filings and today’s hearing:
NEWS: During a hearing in federal court in VA, prosecutors confirmed that the operative indictment in the case against James Comey was never shown to or voted on by the entire grand jury before it was presented in open court.
Defense counsel argued that’s a complete bar to further prosecution
Defense counsel argued that’s a complete bar to further prosecution
November 19, 2025 at 6:44 PM
This appears to be what happened, and thus the indictment submitted to the court was not actually voted on. Hence it’s a nullity.
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Not if what was actually submitted to the court was not voted on by the GJ, as appears to be the case. It’s a nullity. It was never actually indicted. The GJ has to vote on what actually gets presented to the court.
November 19, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Not if what was actually submitted to the court was not voted on by the GJ, as appears to be the case. It’s a nullity. It was never actually indicted. The GJ has to vote on what actually gets presented to the court.
I think the SoL has run, so the invalid indictment actually works to Comey’s favor. Doesn’t matter if jeopardy didn’t attach if the SoL has run. They can’t indict anyway.
November 19, 2025 at 6:34 PM
I think the SoL has run, so the invalid indictment actually works to Comey’s favor. Doesn’t matter if jeopardy didn’t attach if the SoL has run. They can’t indict anyway.
That sounds right. The indictment is a nullity ab initio. It’s as though it were fatally defective on its face — e.g., the language in the indictment did not actually allege a cognizable offense. I have litigated a case that resolved around this question in state court (to get to DJ).
November 19, 2025 at 6:31 PM
That sounds right. The indictment is a nullity ab initio. It’s as though it were fatally defective on its face — e.g., the language in the indictment did not actually allege a cognizable offense. I have litigated a case that resolved around this question in state court (to get to DJ).
That didn’t happen here. Yes, there was botched paperwork involved, but the error here was much, much bigger than that. The head’s characterization of it like this leads one to think it was just a form filled out incorrectly or something. Much bigger than that.
November 19, 2025 at 6:25 PM
That didn’t happen here. Yes, there was botched paperwork involved, but the error here was much, much bigger than that. The head’s characterization of it like this leads one to think it was just a form filled out incorrectly or something. Much bigger than that.
Grand juries are convened to investigate accusation and determine whether there is sufficient evidence to take a case to trial. GJs operate as a collective, so they are supposed to vote on the accusation put in front of them.
November 19, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Grand juries are convened to investigate accusation and determine whether there is sufficient evidence to take a case to trial. GJs operate as a collective, so they are supposed to vote on the accusation put in front of them.
I bristle at this headline. Characterizing what happened here as mere “botched paperwork” dramatically downplays what actually happened, which was that is an unbelievable display of incompetence (at best), Halligan undermined the fundamental function an purpose of a grand jury.
November 19, 2025 at 6:25 PM
I bristle at this headline. Characterizing what happened here as mere “botched paperwork” dramatically downplays what actually happened, which was that is an unbelievable display of incompetence (at best), Halligan undermined the fundamental function an purpose of a grand jury.
Mind you, this is descriptive, not intended to be a normative argument.
November 19, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Mind you, this is descriptive, not intended to be a normative argument.
But the American Dream is still home ownership in the suburbs for most. There is an economic piece to that (building wealth), but the biggest driver is culture for sure. All of the infrastructure is really built to support a cultural preference rather than shape it.
November 19, 2025 at 3:33 PM
But the American Dream is still home ownership in the suburbs for most. There is an economic piece to that (building wealth), but the biggest driver is culture for sure. All of the infrastructure is really built to support a cultural preference rather than shape it.
And I want to make clear, there is a lot to recommend city living these days. And there has been a return to cities in the past few decades. Cities (especially smaller cities) have had their downtowns revitalized, and mixed-use developments are very popular.
November 19, 2025 at 3:33 PM
And I want to make clear, there is a lot to recommend city living these days. And there has been a return to cities in the past few decades. Cities (especially smaller cities) have had their downtowns revitalized, and mixed-use developments are very popular.
Culture is a powerful thing in shaping preferences. But the fact that as soon as it became possible for many Americans to leave cities they did kind of suggests those were natural preferences (at least in the immediate post war years). The current pressure is culture. Hard to get past that.
November 19, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Culture is a powerful thing in shaping preferences. But the fact that as soon as it became possible for many Americans to leave cities they did kind of suggests those were natural preferences (at least in the immediate post war years). The current pressure is culture. Hard to get past that.
It’s also the main way that most Americans build generational wealth. It is desirable, and those are the reasons, for good or ill. It makes sense, and I am not sure why anybody thinks it’s not true or somehow forced on Americans. As soon as it became possible, people moved.
November 19, 2025 at 2:51 PM
It’s also the main way that most Americans build generational wealth. It is desirable, and those are the reasons, for good or ill. It makes sense, and I am not sure why anybody thinks it’s not true or somehow forced on Americans. As soon as it became possible, people moved.
But it’s also true that cities were different at that time, too. Generally much dirtier and unpleasant. There was a reason people wanted space. And that became part of the culture. It became the American Dream.
November 19, 2025 at 2:51 PM
But it’s also true that cities were different at that time, too. Generally much dirtier and unpleasant. There was a reason people wanted space. And that became part of the culture. It became the American Dream.
But the culture shifted. Post-WWII, when it became possible for millions of Americans to build homes in the suburbs because of VA home loans, people took advantage of that. Before that, it wasn’t as possible for people to do that.
November 19, 2025 at 2:51 PM
But the culture shifted. Post-WWII, when it became possible for millions of Americans to build homes in the suburbs because of VA home loans, people took advantage of that. Before that, it wasn’t as possible for people to do that.
Also, the lawyers on here (I’m one) will give the same advice. Every day is stfu Friday.
November 19, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Also, the lawyers on here (I’m one) will give the same advice. Every day is stfu Friday.
Dude just makes shit up.
November 19, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Dude just makes shit up.
Yeah, that should raise an eyebrow or two. Being “insubordinate” implies a hierarchy where reporters are *subordinate to*…a foreign head of state? President Trump? That’s…uh…not how it works here. Or at least, that’s not how it’s supposed to work.
November 18, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Yeah, that should raise an eyebrow or two. Being “insubordinate” implies a hierarchy where reporters are *subordinate to*…a foreign head of state? President Trump? That’s…uh…not how it works here. Or at least, that’s not how it’s supposed to work.
Wasn’t really expecting “AI does phrenology” to be a thing, but I really shouldn’t be surprised, I guess.
November 18, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Wasn’t really expecting “AI does phrenology” to be a thing, but I really shouldn’t be surprised, I guess.
Tortured us with a bamboo metaphor.
November 18, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Tortured us with a bamboo metaphor.