During my freshman year at college, there was an older guy at my fraternity everyone used to call “Heeb-heimer.” That was a play on his real name, which was Hartheimer. He was Jewish. I used to call him that too. Actually, I called him “Hee-Heimer.” I had never heard of someone being called a “Heeb” before, and since he was …
I am watching what has to be the best cross-examination at a probable cause hearing I have ever seen. It is a new attorney from the Public Defender Service (PDS), someone I have never seen before, and he is handling the cross-examination like he is Irving Younger. He is pleasant but firm. He moves methodically through the facts, pinning the …
The Associated Press reported on the lawsuit filed yesterday in federal court in San Francisco alleging that current and former members of the U.S. military were sexually assaulted while serving: The 20 women and men filing the lawsuit claim they were harassed, raped or assaulted and suffered retaliation when they reported the incidents. The lawsuit names top Department of Defense …
A new D.C. law, which took effect on August 1, 2012, has increased penalties for people convicted of driving while intoxicated (DWI), driving under the influence (DUI) and operating while impaired (OWI). For example, the penalty for a first-time conviction in a DUI/DWI case has gone up from a maximum fine of $300 and 90 days in jail to a …
Beginning July 1, 2012, every person who is convicted of a drinking-and-driving offense in Virginia and who wants to drive on a restricted license will be required to install an ignition interlock device on his/her car. Current law applies this requirement only to repeat offenders and to first-time offenders who are convicted of a blood alcohol level of 0.15 or …
We are not going to win. We are not going to stabilize the country. We are not going to win any hearts and minds. The only thing we will accomplish by remaining in this miserable, strife-ridden country is to lose more American lives. At some point, maybe, we had an opportunity of doing something positive in Afghanistan. With the full …
I found out about the press conference this morning when Susan asked me for feedback on the suit she was wearing. “How come nobody from the media ever talks about the good-looking and supportive husband?” I asked her. Craving attention almost as much as she eschews it, I was annoyed the last go-round when one of the media reports mentioned …
There are people in this world, it turns out, who don’t like my wife. It is not surprising that, along with the fans, her high-profile public interest and human rights cases have also attracted her share of detractors. When you sue a major U.S. company for illegally dumping its waste in a developing country, people will assume you are anti-big …
A proposal to install indoor surveillance cameras at Fairfax County schools in Virginia has created quite a controversy. With many parents still upset over harsh disciplinary practices in the schools that have led to a couple of suicides, critics of the proposal have expressed concern over any further encroachment on the civil liberties of students. They see the proposal …
Of all the collateral consequences of a criminal arrest or conviction, one of the issues of greatest concern in the DC/Maryland/Northern Virginia area could be the effect of an arrest or conviction on a person’s security clearance. After all, with many military personnel and defense contractors living in the area, there are many people here who require a security …