U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III, a Reagan appointee and a former Naval Aviator is a disgrace to the court and Paul Manafort will be lucky to get a fair trial. Judge Ellis has a problem, here is a quote, you decide:
"I'm a Caesar in my own Rome,” he continues, "And
it's a small Rome."
This is what Judge Ellis told a defendant, a person who is being
accused of a crime, So much for a fair trial.
Judge Ellis is a 30-year veteran of the bench who is
well-known in legal circles for his colorful commentary and his unique style. A
Judge shouldn’t be known for anything except insuring fair trials. Their
personality shouldn’t be an issue.
The Judge at times stunned observers and stole the
spotlight in Manafort’s trial. I shouldn’t have to say this, but the spotlight
shouldn’t be on the Judge, it should be focused on Mueller and Manafort’s legal
team. This is almost as bad as Judge Lance Ito during the O.J. Simpson trial.
It looks as if Ellis is trying to make a legacy for
himself.
His barbed remarks have made headlines in all the
newspapers; Ellis has warned attorneys on both sides to "rein in your
facial expressions.” The judge’s behavior could have a significant impact on
the jurors assigned to the case.
Jurors view the judge as the arbiter of fairness and
appropriate conduct, this is the main job of a judge. Inferences by the judge
that the prosecution or defense is not playing by the rules can sway the jury
or at least sway an individual on the jury. Inferences can also play into the
defenses strategy and spin the case as a classic case of government overreach.
So far (at this writing) the clear majority of a trial had
been spent on the prosecution’s case, since the prosecution has the burden of
proof. Lawyers for Manafort, have not presented their defense as I write this,
so I’m interested on how Ellis interacts with the other side as should you be
too,
Judge Ellis in a surprise move, stated at the beginning of
the trial that "These allegations clearly pre-date the appointment of the
special counsel, none of it had any relation to the campaign."
He also said, "We're not going to have this case tried
as 'He associated with despicable people, therefore he's a despicable
person,'" that's not the American way ... Call them 'financiers.'"
T.S. Ellis has berated prosecutors daily for perceived
missteps and slights, he told the jury the next day to ignore one of his
outbursts, saying he was “probably wrong.” The remarks that he instructed the
jury to ignore were made the day before excoriating prosecutors for allowing an
expert government witness to sit in the courtroom before he testified.
“You don’t really care about Mr. Manafort’s bank
fraud," Ellis said, referring to the barrage of criminal charges levelled
against the former Republican political operative. “What you really care about
is what information Mr. Manafort could give you that would reflect on Mr. Trump
or lead to his prosecution or impeachment. …The vernacular is to 'sing.'"
This kind of rhetoric isn’t uncommon for the judge, he has
a reputation for being tough on attorneys:
“He has torn my head off in front of my wife multiple
times,” said Kevin Mikolashek, who recently left the U.S. Attorney’s Office in
Alexandria to start his own consulting firm.
“He is personally a Republican…but I literally cannot
recall an instance where I thought that was an issue. He’s…a law-driven judge,”
said Emily Martin, general counsel for the National Women’s Law Center and a
former clerk for Ellis. She continues, “He’s actually had a lot of lefty clerks
over the years.”
Judge Ellis is a big proponent of personal responsibility,
“Life is making choices and living with the consequences of the choices we
make.” This was the speech Ellis gave American Taliban fighter John Walker
Lindh and gives the same speech to every guilty party.
It’s no wonder Ellis has received death threats about the
case — and now travels with protection from the U.S. Marshal Service. He’s a
republican and tough on attorneys, tough on Mueller. If anything, the remark to
Mueller’s team that may have sparked the death threats, “What you really care
about is what information Mr. Manafort could give you that would reflect on Mr.
Trump or lead to his prosecution or impeachment. …The vernacular is to 'sing” could
signal that even the judge thinks Mueller’s probe is a witch hunt.
It may have been the one which put the left in panic mode,
but we will see.