Don't Cut and Run, Representative Esty

The people of Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District deserved far more than they’re getting from Representative Elizabeth Esty, but not for the reasons you might think. In announcing her decision not to seek re-election in November, she knuckled under to pressure from a well-organized mob. It is hardly a profile in courage.
The new prudery sweeping the nation claimed Esty as its latest victim. Her crime? She didn’t act quickly and vigorously enough to condemn an aide accused of harassing a female colleague.
The allegations...
April 2, 2018

Senator Fasano's Assault On Independent Judiciary

After today’s Senate debate on whether to confirm the nomination of Andrew McDonald as Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, I made a resolution: I intend to contribute to, and work for, any candidate who seeks to replace Senator Len Fasano, R-North Haven.
Fasano led the charge against McDonald, standing in the well of the Senate and parsing recent Supreme Court decisions in high-profile cases. He urged his fellow Senators to oppose McDonald’s confirmation because he didn’t like some of the decisions McDonald, and fellow members of...
March 27, 2018

In re: Andrew McDonald -- Shame on Senate Republicans

Just why the Republican Party is intent on importing the same level of asinine partisan vitriol rampant in Washington, D.C., to Connecticut is a deep, and troubling, mystery. This is a small state. Ideology ought not to trump civility; we actually used to get things done here. But the ideologues want to stop that.
I am referring the opposition among state Senate Republicans to the nomination of Andrew McDonald to the position of Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court.
McDonald is the choice of outgoing Gov. Danell Malloy, a Democrat, to serve as the...
March 27, 2018

Thank You, Shon Hopwood

Practice law long enough and a certain weariness sets in. It’s more than a function of aging, although that is certainly a factor. But it’s also the accumulated wear and tear of too close an acquaintance with sorrow, anger, fear – the raw emotions spawned by the needs that drive clients to your office. Law offices are not happy places.
So when renewal comes, when grace abounds, you give such thanks as you can. Today I write to thank Shon Hopwood. His memoir, Law Man, is the perfect love story for lawyers wondering whether the race is still worth running.
Hopwood...
March 24, 2018

Dowd Is Out; More Pointless "Donald Drama"

March 22, 2018
The resignation of Donald Trump’s chief personal lawyer, John Dowd, brings to mind an aphorism often discussed, but rarely publicly...

#MeToo's Presumption of Victimhood

March 21, 2018
Burdens of proof matter in the criminal justice and the civil justice systems. In the criminal courts, the state must prove its...

Crying "Foul" After The Yale Rape Case Is Misleading

March 11, 2018
How dare I ask questions about text messages, alcohol consumption and what an accuser wore on the night she claimed she was raped by an...

Call Me, Harvey. I’ll Defend You

October 13, 2017
Not since Meg Ryan’s fake orgasm sitting across a diner’s table from Billy Crystal in “When Harry Met Sally” have we seen...

Bitcoin's China Syndrome

September 19, 2017
All eyes are on China as bitcoin rises and falls on digital exchanges. The Wall Street Journal reports that just this past Friday, Chinese...

Bitcoin Will Outlast J.P. Morgan

September 17, 2017
Bitcoin went on a rollercoaster ride last week, spiking in value on some exchanges just north of $5,000. Then J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon told 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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