For the Defense with David Oscar Markus

In this bonus episode, Judge Nancy G. Abudu – the newest judge on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals – joins David Oscar Markus for an open discussion about her career, the confirmation process, and the Court itself.Almost all appellate judges served as lower court judges and bring that experience with them to the appellate bench. But Judge Nancy Abudu’s path was quite different. In this bonus episode of For the Defense, Judge Abudu discusses her unique path, as well as why that professional and personal diversity is so important to the bench. You’ll also hear how down-to-earth and humble she is, how she spends her free time, a little about her first few opinions on the court, and more. 

Defense attorneys Michael Schachter and Randall Jackson discuss their successful acquittal of Tom Barrack. They navigate white-collar criminal defense cases, jury selection challenges, effective communication with clients, and the power of storytelling in legal trials. The podcast highlights the importance of teamwork, strategic trial tactics, and celebrating victories in the legal profession.

In the Season 5 finale, partners Margot Moss and David Oscar Markus discuss their successful representation of Mayor Andrew Gillum.Mayor Gillum was a hairbreadth away from being Florida’s Governor. Had the FBI not started and leaked an unjustified investigation, he would have won. But once they did so, they kept the target on Gillum’s back, eventually charging him with 19 counts in federal court in Tallahassee. Enter Margot Moss and David Markus. They discuss how they prepared and tried the case before an antagonistic judge.

Was it suicide or was it murder? Craig Albee sits down with David Oscar Markus to discuss whether Mark Jensen murdered his wife with antifreeze or whether she committed suicide.Craig Albee is the federal defender in Wisconsin. And he's tried lots of cases. But nothing like this one, which has led to books, movies, and of course, podcasts. Known as the "letter from the grave" case, Julie Jensen wrote a letter shortly before her death saying that if she turned up dead, her husband "would be my first suspect." Albee and the defense said that this was just a set up and that she actually committed suicide. Check out the wild twists and turns of these multiple murder trials as David Oscar Markus explores the strategies with Albee for defending a man accused of murder.

Barry Scheck put DNA evidence on the map during the O.J. Simpson trial and now runs the amazing Innocence Project.Barry Scheck, a titan of the criminal defense bar, sits down with David Oscar Markus to discuss high profile cases, exonerating the innocent, and the practice of law. He's one of the best and it shows. 

John Lauro is not sitting back in his defense of Donald Trump. Listen to him discuss his defense strategy with David Oscar Markus on this special episode of For the Defense.John Lauro is former President Trump's lawyer in the January 6 case in Washington D.C. In this interview with David Oscar Markus, he goes in depth on how he got involved in the case, his defense strategy, his media strategy, why he would represent Hunter Biden if asked, and lots of other interesting topics.

David Oscar Markus interviews Matthew Menchel, one of the best trial lawyers in the country, on his acquittal for UBS banker Raoul Weil. The U.S. had enough with wealthy tax cheats hiding their money in Swiss bank accounts. So it decided to go after the foreign bankers to send a message, including Raoul Weil, one of the top executives at UBS. Enter Matt Menchel, who defended Weil in federal court. Matt sits down with David Markus in this fun episode to discuss the ins and outs of winning a complicated white collar case. 

David Oscar Markus interviews Lisa Wayne, the executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, on her most recent trial win, for New Orleans district attorney Jason Williams.Progressive prosecutors have been pretty controversial around the country. The recently elected district attorney in New Orleans was no exception as he was indicted in federal court on 10 counts of tax fraud. Even prosecutors need criminal defense lawyers, and this one turned to one of the greats in Lisa Wayne. Listen to her and David Oscar Markus discuss how race, politics, and the media all played into this high profile case – Lisa’s last before taking the reigns of NACDL.

David Oscar Markus interviews legendary Jerry Lefcourt about one of the most important trials in American history, the Chicago 8 case.Jerry Lefcourt had recently been fired as a legal aid lawyer in the late 1960s when he got a call from Abbie Hoffman. They spoke all night at Hoffman’s apartment. Hoffman told him “I'll start a revolution; you keep me out of jail.” And Jerry did just that. Take a listen to this fascinating discussion about Jerry’s start to an awe-inspiring career. You'll hear about his battles with the judge, including getting sent to jail. Jerry is a wonderful storyteller and he and David have a lot of fun talking about this historic case.

David Oscar Markus sits down with former President Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, who has not yet spoken in detail with the media.Todd Blanche was a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, prosecuting violent criminals in federal court. He then left for the oldest law firm in New York – Cadwalader. There, he quickly developed a reputation for being able to handle hot button cases, like Paul Manafort’s and Igor Fruman’s. Now, on his own, he is representing the former President of the United States. Although he is very reluctant to speak with any press, he sat down with David Oscar Markus for an hour in this entertaining back and forth to discuss the difficulties in representing a defendant in a politically charged case.