What You Can Do About Zuccotti Park

The security service for the one percent cleaned out Zuccotti Park while the rest of us slept last night. Dressed in riot gear, carrying batons and tossing tear gas cannisters, turning high-volume noise machines on people who had the nerve to gather together and rename a small sliver of Manhattan Liberty Park, the legions destroyed a tent city. They were hoping you wouldn’t notice, and that you won’t care.
Prove them wrong.
My wife and I happened on the news by chance. I awoke in the middle of the night and checked to see if I had received any electronic messages....
November 15, 2011

Questions Abound For Pennsylvania's Governor

Here is my column in this morning's Hartford Courant.
Normally, the scandal at Pennsylvania State University would raise crippling questions about the integrity of Gov. Tom Corbett. But because this case involves allegations of child abuse, we have suspended judgment. We have also forsaken allegiance to principles we pretend to hold dear, such as the presumption of innocence, fair play and the rule of law.
Corbett is doing the hero's walk: He urged the firing of football coach Joe Paterno and school president Graham Spanier. Even The New York Times is lionizing Corbett as a...
November 13, 2011

Hypocrites Run Paterno Out Of Happy Valley

The tongue-clucking moralists on the Pennsylvania State University board of trustees who fired Joe Paterno in the dead of night ought to be tarred, feathered and then run out of Happy Valley. They used Joe Pa for all he was worth and then killed him once they had milked every conceivable dime they could from the man and his legacy. Now they will most likely hide behind sovereign immunity to avoid paying any of the victim’s of Jerry Sandusky’s lust a dime.
Shame on Sodomy State.
Everyone now knows the shocking allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry...
November 9, 2011

(Updated) Not So Fast On Joe Paterno

Pennsylvania lawyers are no doubt sitting by their phones, hoping that someone will call to report that they, too, were a victim of Jerry Sandusky’s lust. There’s great money to be made in claims of child sex abuse. Just ask the Catholic Church, which has paid claimants in a series of high-price settlements of child-sex claims. Big institutions have deep pockets and public relations departments that care about image.
Sandusky was for many years defense coordinator for the football team at Pennsylvania State University. He retired in 1999, but retained an office and full...
November 9, 2011

U.S. v. Jones: Can Digital Sheep Expect Privacy?

November 7, 2011
It comes as a surprise to many people to learn that the federal courts do not recognize a right to privacy as a matter of constitutional law. But it...

Go Ahead, Mike: Tell Her Why You Want To Kill Her Father

November 6, 2011
Let me see if I understand this: Requiring Joshua Komisarjevsky’s daughter to testify in the death-penalty phase of his trial might harm her...

An Acquittal. Will The Government Be Held Accountable?

November 4, 2011
Here’s a question I hope comes to a courtroom in Connecticut within the next 30 days: Will the United States Government be forced to reimburse...

"Violent Chaos" In Oakland? Good

November 3, 2011
You can sing Kumbaya until you are hoarse, and I’m betting the big money boys and girls on Wall Street, in the nation’s boardrooms, and...

Eric Robert Might See Things Too Clearly

November 2, 2011
I’ve never met Eric Robert of South Dakota, but what I’ve read about him makes me wonder whether he is a little too sane for the rest of...

Who Feeds The Sheep?, And Using The F-Word In Court

October 27, 2011
Twice in twenty-four hours I recently drew criticism from folks I respect. So I am doing a little soul-searching.
I was on a panel in New...

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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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