Judge Gleeson Bends Rules -- Gets It Right

I can never really tell when a client is serious about suicide. My hunch is that those who talk about it won’t do it. It’s the silent types who from time to time cross that dark line. It is devastating when they do so. In every case, you look back for signs, cues and portents. Sure, more could have been done to prevent the self-destruction.
In a criminal defense lawyer’s office, however, it is easy enough to understand why folks destroy themselves. The criminal justice system is savage. A minor violation of the law can destroy a person for a lifetime. Too often, the...
October 22, 2015

The New Racism

Some time in or about 2040, Caucasians will become a minority in North America, according to projections from the U.S. Census Bureau. This change in demographics will alter the political landscape; indeed, things are already changing. Consider the concept of "white male privilege."
What is it?
As near as I can tell, it is a claim that a white male enjoys certain privileges simply as an accident of birth. White males, the argument seems to go, cannot possibly understand the world of others, typically women or African-Americans, because they have not experienced the world in the...
October 22, 2015

Human Rights Exhaustion

In the end, when our civilization and way of life collapses, it will not be because some foreign enemy laid us low. The rot that will destroy us will be home grown.
The lingering decay was on display in Milford recently, where school officials banned Halloween celebrations in the elementary schools lest they offend those who would not participate, apparently on religious grounds.
This brand of idiocy made national news, and a laughing stock out of Milford school officials.
In the end, school officials relented, and let the kids have their parades, and wear their costumes,...
October 14, 2015

The Importance of Jury Duty

“How did you feel when you got your summons in the mail asking you to come to court?”
More often than not, it is the first question I ask potential jurors during jury selection. Most folks sigh, and then state that they weren’t happy. Jury service is regarded as an inconvenience, a bother, and, in some cases, a hardship.
The other day, I responded to a summons directed to me. I appeared in New Haven, reported to the ninth floor of the courthouse, and tried to blend in with the crowd.
“You look familiar,” a woman said, as we rode the elevator....
October 7, 2015

A Question of Competence

October 5, 2015
Dr. Lishan Wang doesn’t want to be forced to take medication. His mind is clear. He is prepared to represent himself at trial against the...

GM, Volkswagen -- Criminals Without Consequences

September 23, 2015
There’s a rough divide among criminal defense lawyers, distinguishing those who defend so-called white-collar cases from those who defend other...

A Lawyer, A Judge and Black Privilege

September 23, 2015
It is difficult for me to understand why U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Meyer thought it necessary to refer attorney Josephine Miller for...

Carpe Diem at 60

September 16, 2015
You’ve heard the syllogism:
“All men are mortal;
“Socrates is a man;
“Therefore Socrates is...

Yale's Flawed UWC Sexual Misconduct Policies

September 14, 2015
Yale is concerned that students facing sexual misconduct charges might not fully understand the manner in which such complaints are...

A Shout Out To CJUS 1111

September 12, 2015
Here’s a shout out to the students in Introduction to Criminal Justice, CJUS 1111, Western New Mexico University. Andy Warren, the...

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Taking Back the Courts
Norm Pattis Taking Back the Courts

The Wizard of Oz was one of my favorites movies as a kid. Little did I know judges were so much like the wizard, hiding behind empty trappings of power. This book tells you things you need to know about what really goes on in court. Read it, weep, and then demand that the courts do better.

In the Trenches
Norm Pattis In the Trenches

Plenty of lawyers write about the law, but few who write try cases. Judge for yourself whether I talk the talk and walk the walk in this collection of occasional essays about life in the law's trenches.

Juries and Justice
Norm Pattis Juries and Justice

How prepared are you to take seriously the notion that 'we the people' are, in fact, sovereign? Discover the secret, and unused, power of jurors. 'Ask why; then nullify.'

Norm Pattis

About Norm

Norm Pattis is a Connecticut based trial lawyer focused on high stakes criminal cases and civil right violations. He is a veteran of more than 150 jury trials, many resulting in acquittals for people charged with serious crimes, multi-million dollar civil rights and discrimination verdicts, and scores of cases favorably settled.

© Norm Pattis is represented by Elite Lawyer Management, managing agents for Exceptional American Lawyers
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