Sovereign Immunity Is Medieval Harlotry

Odds are you did not know that the United States government can be sued only with its consent. That’s because a legal doctrine called sovereign immunity, a doctrine nowhere found in the Constitution of this great land, prohibits anyone from suing the government for money damages.
I somehow how doubt that the founders of this Republic had their fingers crossed when they signed the Constitution. The preamble of our charter begins with the majestic words “We the people.” It then speaks about our having created a republic to serve the goals of life, liberty and the pursuit...
August 28, 2016

The Abyss Claims Another Lawyer

I am deflated suddenly, staring out the window wondering about the point of it all. News is just now breaking that another lawyer has committed suicide. The body of Meriden’s John Ivers, 50, reported missing this past weekend, has been recovered. A self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, the police say.
Did it have to come to this?
The scoffers out there will mutter it’s no loss, another lawyer dead. You know the jokes: “What do you call a dozen lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?”
Ready for the answer?
“A good...
August 12, 2016

The Kzhir Khan Sideshow

The decision to have Khizr Khan address the Democrat’s national convention at the coronation of Hillary Clinton was a stroke of genius. Who better to take aim at Donald Trump on the topic of Muslim immigration?
Humayun Khan, Mr. Khan’s son, was a captain in the United States Army. He stepped in front of a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004, sacrificing his own life to save the lives of those he commanded. For this he was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star – high honors for bravery in the United States military.
The Khan...
August 3, 2016

The Mandibles and Donald Trump

If you’re looking for a good summer read, I’ve just the book: Lionel Shriver’s, “The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047.” But first a warning: It’s not a feel-good tale.
The world economy has changed, and the United States’ economy has collapsed, a victim of excessive debt, runaway costs associated with ever-expanding entitlement programs, devalued currency and a world grown weary of American hegemony.
The Mandible family, all three surviving generations, copes with the decline in both the nation’s, and the their own, fortunes.
You...
July 28, 2016

Social Media, Marketing and Domestic Tranquility

July 27, 2016
It’s hard to avoid online commentary about the value of social media to practicing lawyers, so my decision to leave Twitter and...

Vandalism, Yale and Black Lives Matter

July 13, 2016
Corey Menafee wants his job back at Yale University. He is also hoping he doesn’t face criminal charges for his on-the-job conduct. His hopes...

USexit and Donald Trump

June 29, 2016
The doom and gloom forecasts about the consequences of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union are bewildering. Why all the storm and...

MCLE Not Such A Bad Idea

June 29, 2016
Connecticut has now joined the majority of states requiring lawyers to complete continuing legal education (CLE) courses each year. The only thing I...

The Vanishing Fourth Amendment

June 23, 2016
Walk into criminal court some time to listen to closing arguments. Odds are you will hear the prosecution talk about holding the defendant...

Facebook's Contempt for the Law

June 18, 2016
Experienced litigators learn the hard way that some institutions regard themselves as too big to comply with the humdrum requirements of the law....

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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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