Opening Arguments OA181: Michael Avenatti is Never Going To Come On Our Show (#NotAllLawyers)
Jun 12, 2018
01:17:25
Today's episode takes a deep dive into allegations of attorney misconduct. We begin with following investigative reporting concerning the involuntary bankruptcy of the Eagan Avenatti firm, and discover some potentially disturbing facts about the lawyer who's currently outfoxing the bad guys at every turn, Michael Avenatti. After that, we discuss the Supreme Court's recent unanimous per curiam decision in Azar v. Garza, the tragic case of the young woman denied her constitutional right to an abortion and subjected to harassment and "crisis pregnancy center" anti-abortion counseling until the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeal stepped in. So... why did the Supreme Court just vacate that opinion? It (potentially) has to do with attorney misconduct. Oh, and this story also tells you everything you needed to know about price ceilings on underwear in the 1940s. (Really!) Then, we examine the biggest example of attorney misconduct at the moment -- Donald Trump's ever-fluctuating team of lawyers defending the indefensible. Specifically, we take a look at the recently-leaked Dowd memorandum and its central claim that the President cannot obstruct justice with otherwise-legal behavior. (That's false.) Finally, we end the answer to Thomas Takes The Bar Exam #79 regarding the conveyance of property to a church with conditions attached. Remember to follow our Twitter feed (@Openargs) and like our Facebook Page so that you too can play along with #TTTBE! Recent Appearances If you can't get enough of our analysis of the Masterpiece Cakeshop opinion, you can get even more on Episode 142 of Serious Inquiries Only (with more Andrew Seidel) and Episode 277 of The Scathing Atheist (with way more profanity). And if you'd like to have either of us as a guest on your show, drop us an email at openarguments@gmail.com. Show Notes & Links
- This is the investigative piece on the Eagan Avenatti bankruptcy published by the Los Angeles Times.
- We last discussed Garza v. Hargan on Episode 165. You can read the Supreme Court's opinion (now captioned Azar v. Garza) here. And if you want to read United States v. Munsingwear, Inc., 304 U.S. 36 (1950), you can do that too!
- Finally, if you can stomach it, here's a link to the Dowd memo.