1.26.2023

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts




Kelly Clarkson sang at President Obama's second inauguration.


  • Murder trial in Dallas abruptly put on hold yesterday. Jurors were waiting in the hallway. The victim's family flew in from Seattle. The defense lawyers were there and ready. The defendant was there (and has been in jail for a year). And then the case was then continued. The hiding of evidence will continue to happen until judges start flat out dismissing cases on the spot for discovery abuse.

  • The big "sex trafficking" arrest in the the metroplex of 46 men, which included a youth pastor and a coach, was nothing more than just the typical adult prostitution sting with cops tricking poor saps online. Buried in an updated story yesterday was this: "There was no evidence of local underage sex trafficking, contrary to rumors." 
  • On then there are other types.

  • This seems to be a delicate dance to avoid an escalation. Tanks OK. Long range missiles not.  Javelin anti-tank missiles OK. Troops not. 

  • I must be getting old because this part of the story caught my attention more than the racism: "Waymond Wesley II, a TikTok star chef who worked in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, has resigned after a laundry list of his own 'racist' and 'colorist' tweets surfaced, showing him trolling and targeting Black women online."  So an ADA is a "star" on "Tiktok" as "chef"?

  • The starting salary for jailers in Williamson County is now $55,000. Let me tell you something. That ain't enough for one of the most thankless and difficult jobs there is. 

  • I wonder how that's working out at Chico ISD which was one of the first schools to adopt a 4 day week?

  • No way this happens. Even Trump knows she would hurt and not help.

  • Wild high rise fire in Chicago yesterday. One dead. 

  • Could the new ChatGPT actually handle traffic ticket court? I bet it could. And do it well.  But the big problem would be the earpiece the guy wanted to stick in the defendant's ear.  The unauthorized practice of law is a trickier issue. (Side note: There are no "State Bar prosecutors" but what he meant was that the State Bar threatened to refer him to the local DA/CA.)


    • But that got me thinking. Every lawyer has Internet access at the counsel table. A pro se Defendant should be entitled to it, too. If you had a laptop(s)/iPad(s)/phone(s) set up, getting outside help right now is really easy. I mean, every lawyer has probably had a colleague text him, message him, or email a message that says, "Think about asking him . . . ." Couldn't a lawyer go one step further and rely upon AI if he trusted it? Shouldn't a pro se defendant have that right? 
    • A weird world is coming for all of us. 
  • Is Parsons throwing Dak under the bus? Probably. 

  • I'm excited about the new Wise County Courthouse restoration, but I don't see a whole lot going on over there as the building now sits empty.