HISTORY BUFFS: In ancient Rome, Titus is left-handed.   This makes Titus exempt from Army service.    He is neither a Christian nor unfit for the Army. What keeps him a civilian?

PRUDENCE?    “… He’s always said exactly what he meant. It’s a wonder he got promoted as high as he did.” – Ruth Downey, Memento Mori

RELIEF FOR A HISPANIC MARINE. Good news for our client RB – more than 34 years later, he succeeded in winning an upgrade from his undesirable-type discharge.   In gratitude for his victory, this kindly man wrote us, “I had Angels with me throughout my life and 10 years ago I found one.”

Another client – C – was able to clear up a difficult situation and get approved to work as a civilian nurse.

DISLOYAL?  NACDL’s Champion magazine book report:    Regarding Mr. Cohen, the President Trump attorney who lost his license to practice law, the reviewer argues that “disbarment doesn’t nullify confidentiality.”

NBC News

28 migrant children and their parents face deportation after refusing to be separated (“This summer, ICE gave the parents the choice between keeping their children with them in detention or releasing their children from detention without them.”)

The Crime Report

  Can the Sixth Amendment Protect Defendants from Junk Science? (“On December 3, the Maryland Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in two cases that address when a criminal defendant has a right to cross-examine a lab technician who tested a DNA sample in his case.”)

Washington Post

Jury duty? No thanks say many, forcing trials to be delayed (“A few courts have held trials in person and by video conference. Although video conferences may appear to be the best bet, many criminal defense lawyers oppose them because it’s harder to determine witness credibility and to see if jurors are paying attention, said Christopher Adams, a lawyer in Charleston, South Carolina, and president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. ‘For almost everybody, there is no compelling need for trials to go forward during the pandemic,’ he said, adding that most courts are not holding jury trials at the moment. Adams said another concern is how representative juries would be if trials went ahead — the virus’ impact and the level of concern about it across different demographics, such as Black, Latino and elderly populations that are dying at higher rates, could affect who feels safe to serve jury duty. ‘What we can’t allow is to have trials where there’s not a fair cross section of the community represented,’ he said.”)

Collateral Consequences Resource Center 

Updated: “Who Must Pay to Regain the Vote? A 50-State Survey” (“We are pleased to publish an update of our 50-state report on how unpaid court debt blocks restoration of voting rights lost as a result of conviction[.]”)

Execution rescheduled for only woman on federal death row (“The U.S. government now plans to execute the first female inmate in almost six decades just days before President-elect Joe Biden, an opponent of the death penalty, takes office.”)

: “Who Must Pay to Regain the Vote? A 50-State Survey” (“We are pleased to publish an update of our 50-state report on how unpaid court debt blocks restoration of voting rights lost as a result of conviction[.]”)

NY Times

Can an Algorithm Prevent Suicide? (“The Department of Veterans Affairs has turned to machine-learning to help identify vets at risk of taking their own lives.”)

Army Agrees to Review Thousands of Unfavorable Discharges for Veterans (“If approved by a federal judge, the settlement agreement in a class-action lawsuit could result in thousands of veterans gaining access to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ full array of benefits.”)

Associated Press 

Prosecutors: 31 charged in Coast Guard test-fixing scheme (“More than 30 people were charged for their participation in a test score-fixing scheme that happened over seven years at a United States Coast Guard exam center in Louisiana, federal prosecutors announced.”)

 NBC News 

Trump set on veto of defense bill over renaming bases honoring Confederates (“The president has told lawmakers he won’t back down from campaign threat to scuttle defense spending bill over proposed changes.”)

National Law Journal/Law.com  

Amid COVID-19 Spike, 25 Federal Courts in 21 States Are Quitting Jury Trials Again (“Among the 25 U.S. district courts that have closed jury trials again because of the COVID-19 spike are courts in Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland.”)

ANSWER FOR HISTORY BUFFS: Lefties are not much use in the Roman infantry – “you couldn’t have men wielding swords in whichever hand they chose.” Ruth Downey, Memento Mauri