Post Archive for March 2011
Integrity: Beyond Telling the Truth
As a Quaker, I practice historic testimonies for peace and simplicity. In addition to the Quaker testimonies for peace and simplicity, there is the testimony of integrity. Historically this testimony was expressed as a fierce determination to tell the truth, and a refusal to take oaths as a witness that there is only one standard of truth that must be maintained at all times. Quakers developed a reputation for being truthful and being fair in their business dealings. They also developed a reputation for being rude and abrasive, for refusing to participate in meaningless small talk, to participate … read more »
Civil Rights Work: Breaking Walls and Building Bridges
I have represented female police officers fighting for equal treatment at work, gay and lesbian victims of hate crimes, an African American family chased at gun point by a member of the KKK, persons with mental health problems arrested and tasered without cause, people who are stopped, harassed, and arrested because of their race. The work of a civil rights lawyer often seems to focus on breaking down walls in our society that perpetuate inequality and oppression. Privilege and power constantly builds these walls on the basis of race, class, gender, sexual oreintation, disability, and age. It is … read more »
My Spiritual Path as a Trial Lawyer
The spiritual opportunities that arise as I work as a trial lawyer have not always been clear to me, and they continue to unfold before me as I zigzag across the path of my calling.
Matthew 25:35 speaks to this calling:
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer … read more »
Victory in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
We recently won a case in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals,
It is encouraging to see a higher Court acknowledge and remember the purpose of our Constitutional protections against police misconduct.
“Moreover, we are deeply troubled by the way in which the Government attempts to spin these largely mundane acts into a web of deception. Although these matters generally only come before this Court where a police seizure uncovers some wrongdoing, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge that the exclusionary rule is our sole means of ensuring that police refrain from engaging in the unwarranted harassment or … read more »
