Thirty-Nine Years …

October 16, 2020

Thirty-Nine Years …

39 Years ...

Mark Rubin

On a lovely Saturday morning in 1981 – as it happens, October 17 – I travelled to Tempe, to Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium – to become a lawyer. (Frank Lloyd Wright designed the building, which was completed in 1950.) With me were my mom and my sisters. (My father, whose father was a lawyer and whose determined nature led me to that place on that morning, was elsewhere.

Grady Gammage uplifts me, always. One of my 10 favorite buildings, easily. And, while the occasion was hardly festive – no balloons or banners or such – the room felt joyous.

We lined up by State Bar numbers, issued alphabetically to new admittees. My number was 007092.

Continue reading...

Buck up, ever’body!

September 19, 2020

Buck up, ever’body!

RBG

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, RIP

Buck up, ever’body! RBG would not want us crying in our cups, and I think this Court thing-y will turn out okay!

As is Senator Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr. (R – Ky.) – the Senate Majority Leader – plays games. We know this! He sold us a lot of crap in 2016, when he claimed the American people should choose the person who gets the privilege of selecting Justice Antonin Scalia’s replacement. Never mind the fact that we chose Barack Obama to work for us from January 20, 2013 to January 20, 2017.

Now, Leader McConnell must come up with a new rationale. That’s easy, he says. The American people chose Donald Trump

Continue reading...

COVID-19: Another Update

July 31, 2020

COVID-19: Another R&B Update

covid-19

Mark Rubin

We’re still here! When I updated you all on March 22, I never expected for us to be “at home” 131 days later. Home we are, though, and way behind on our communications.

Leigh and I remain in our homes, almost exclusively. Privilege abounds, as we manage to live our lives and serve our clients with a minimum of inconvenience. Our staff manages the office and Matthew Scarber works in the office, mostly. We limit our contacts with clients and others, have masks and gloves at the ready, and a fancy-dancy sanitizer dispenser at 382 S. Convent Ave.

Our privilege aside, the pandemic has affected the delivery of legal services greatly. Not so much

Continue reading...

More Reasons to Vote for Laura Conover

July 12, 2020

More Reasons to Vote for Laura Conover

Conover endorsement LB

Laura Conover

Hi there. I’m Leigh, and I’m visiting here. I share Mark’s views about the reasons why we need changes at the Pima County Attorney’s Office. I have some more, too.

In our tough economic times, we need a County Attorney who will better steward the substantial sum of money we spend in our community to prosecute criminals. Further, we need someone who will insist on running an office which focuses on justice, as opposed to convictions. Laura Conover meets these requirements.

The Office of the County Attorney as well as the Offices of the Public and Legal Defender serve the people of Pima County in many ways, not least of which

Continue reading...

Laura Conover for County Attorney

July 11, 2020

Laura Conover for County Attorney

Conover endorsement

Laura Conover

I support Laura Conover for Pima County Attorney. Why requires some background and history.

The Job

A.R.S. 11-532 defines the powers and duties of the County Attorney. It begins thusly: The county attorney is the public prosecutor of the county … . Twelve itemized duties follow. Some large and some not so much. The statute also refers to certain situations and the right to offer civil legal services to other governmental bodies. Those details matter little, though. We live in a county with more than 1,000,000 residents and an office with hundreds of employees, handling thousands of cases every year, The elected County Attorney leads the office. She or he sets and evaluates

Continue reading...

The Supreme Court: This Week (6/14 – 6/21/2020)

June 20, 2020

The Supreme Court: This Week (6/14 – 6/21/2020)

Supreme Court

U.S. Supreme Court Building

A doozy, this week, with plenty to observe! The week began on Monday with the decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, etc. and two related cases (Nos. 17-1618 and 23, and 18-107) aka the Title VII same sex / transgender cases. On Thursday, the Court issued its opinion in Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, No. 18-587, the DACA case. Earlier, the Court rejected certiorari writs in 10 Second Amendment cases.

For those who thought they bought the Court when they elected Donald J. Trump, this was a very bad week. But, a good week it was for the rule of

Continue reading...

Trump, the Court, and Subpoenas

May 12, 2020

Trump, the Court, and Subpoenas

trump court subpoenas

Mark Rubin

The U.S. Supreme Court heard three cases during two oral arguments today. Here’s the C-Span link.

Two cases involved subpoenas directed to Mazars (an accounting firm which provided services to Donald Trump and his entities) and Deutche Bank (purportedly, the only money center bank which still deals with the Trumps and their entities). The other case involves state law claims which a New York County (Manhattan) grand jury intends to investigate.

I have thoughts. Really, you say? A top 40% law student – TBT, 57th percentile, ranked just behind my law school roommate, with a practice which mostly involves elder law and real estate – intends to spout off on Con

Continue reading...

Michael Flynn: The Dismissal and What Might Happen    

May 7, 2020

Flynn: The Dismissal and What Might Happen

Michael Flynn

Mark Rubin

 

Today, the Justice Department announced its intent to dismiss its case against Michael Flynn. Recall that the United States of America charged Mr. Flynn with a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001 (False Statements). Mr. Flynn’s sin: lying to the FBI about contacts with Russian governmental officials before January 20, 2017.

Mr. Flynn pled guilty, cooperated with the government for a while for the purpose of lessening his sentence and, on January 14, 2020, filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea. Now, the government says never mind and more – the Justice Department has trashed the FBI and President Trump accuses the Obama Administration of treason, even though

Continue reading...

Notes From the Isolation Ward aka Home

April 4, 2020

Notes From the Isolation Ward aka Home

isolation ward

Me, before COVID-19

Hey there! I hope you all are well and safe. Apologies for not posting for 2+ weeks.

Sheltering in Place

I am sheltering in place. Our terrific crew at the office got me set up completely at home. Everything works, and I want for nothing (on the work side of life.) Well, not exactly! My office phone sits on my desk at home courtesy of something called … VOIP! And it rings. Often! Even when I call the office from it. Such troubles!!!

Personally, sheltering in place works. I’m writing on Saturday. I bought produce at 7:15 a.m. at Cardenas, where they reserve the 7 a.m. hour for old people

Continue reading...

Rubin & Bernstein PLLC – An Update

March 18, 2020

Rubin & Bernstein PLLC – An Update

R&B update

Mark Rubin

I’m embarrassed! Rubin & Bernstein PLLC celebrates – can we celebrate anything, other than a youngster’s birthday, in these times? – our second anniversary on May 1, six weeks from now. Still, we don’t have a working website for the firm we treasure. So, here at my Leftie site aka the place where I provide The Word, I’m providing an update.

In theory, I sent myself home more than a week ago. I heard what seemed like a directive to be home if you’re 60+. I was an early adapter, but Life Happens and today, Wednesday, March 18, was really my first day away from the office. (A foolish grocery store

Continue reading...