THIS JUST IN: HOOBOY, THE COURT IS *TICKED* AT GHISLAINE MAXWELL!
by Anne P. Mitchell, Esq. – attorney, law professor emeritus, and author of Federal law
Hooboy is Judge Engelmayer of the Southern District of New York (SDNY) ever ticked off at Ghislaine Maxwell. He makes as much *very clear* in an order he issued yesterday afternoon in her pro se habeas case (his order is of course included for Notes from the Front members). “Pro se” means she’s not a lawyer, and she doesn’t play one on tv, but despite that complete lack of experience and qualification she is representing herself. Her habeas corpus petition means “bring me before the Court because someone done did me wrong here.”
(Fun fact: Not only am I a lawyer, but I *did* play one on tv – you can find that tv show on YouTube by searching “fathers are parents too Anne P. Mitchell”)
Now, it has to be said that a dirty little secret of the Court system is that, generally speaking, judges *hate* dealing with pro se litigants. So do the lawyers on the other side of the case from them. It’s not that they are snobs. It’s not that they look down on them. It’s that *they don’t know what the fnck they are doing*! And the judge isn’t allowed to help them, not even to point them in the right direction. And neither is the lawyer on the other side (can you spell “malpractice”? I knew you could). But they all still have to slog through all of the voluminous, and usually wrong, paperwork that pro se litigants tend to file. So it’s very frustrating for all concerned.
THIS is why if you truly can’t afford an attorney you should connect with one of the myriad of organizations set up to help people who can’t afford an attorney for whatever – and if it’s a criminal case you should avail yourself of a public defender.
But nooooo, Maxwell has decided she’s smarter than all that, and is representing herself.
And now she’s ticked off the judge.
So, what did she do to arouse the good judge’s ire?
First, she filed her habeas petition *publicly* (instead of under seal as instructed) with the victims’ names therein *unredacted*.
Then, she not only blew a court deadline, she blew right past it by *7 weeks*, filing a supplemental memorandum nearly two months past the June 9th deadline.
As the Court explains, “This filing was unauthorized and violated the Court’s April 22 Order.”
And yet, the Court is still going to accept that filing so that Maxwell can’t argue that the Court’s failure to consider some pivotal point that she raised in that supplemental memorandum is the reason her petition for habeas is denied, when it’s denied.
BUT, says the Court, and again I quote, “Maxwell, however, is not to submit any further filings. Any such filings will not be considered.”
OUCH! I hope that prison infirmary has some Bactine on hand, because Maxwell just got *burned*!
Notes from the Front members: Judge Engelmayer’s order is in your inbox now!
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P.S. If you actually read all the way to the bottom please leave a sentence in a comment that includes the word “slog”. It will show me that my efforts aren’t in vain and that people actually *do* read these things, and it will drive those who just skim crazy wondering through what everyone is slogging! ;~)
(The above was provided by me, Anne P. Mitchell, Esq. – attorney and law professor emeritus.)
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