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Kemper Williams's avatar

As a state judge I resent that remark! Not really, Uncle Clif...keep em coming

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Jean-Baptiste Guillory's avatar

As someone who has practiced, pro se, in state, federal and administrative court actions, absolutely everything you say is true. The judges advocate for the state, and tailor their "rulings" according to state interests. That being said, lawyers today don't do LAW, they do "procedures." They file paperwork according to a certain "trained" acumen. To beat them you have to, just like in martial arts, take them outside of their fight strength. You have to attack them in intellectual ways that their law school never prepared them for, i.e. jurisdiction, agency, delegation of authority authorizations, state constitutions, federal statutes, etc, and most importantly, you have to destroy their case via your discovery requests. Discovery is where you break their will to proceed. You unveil documents, photos, video, affidavits, all and sundry that proves, unquestionably, your position. If they decline the discovery request, you file the Motion to Compel Discovery and in that instrument you present your case to the judge. You can tell your side of the story, as you see fit without testifying, prep the battlefield, and cast a shadow of doubt over your opponent in front of the judge. Its a chess game that not everyone can play and sadly the ones who can, really can't.

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