Judge of the Day

Judge of the Day: Bill Wilson

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We’re a bit surprised that Judge William R. Wilson, Jr. (E.D. Ark.) has never been our Judge of the Day. He’s a pretty colorful character. How many federal judges openly embrace the “L” word (as in “liberal,” not the other L word)? Or raise mules in their spare time? (Judge Alex Kozinski (9th Cir.) raises chickens, but mules are a bigger production.)
Today Judge Wilson finally gets his time in the ATL limelight. Check out this amusing letter he sent to a lawyer whose motion in limine he viewed as a bit over-the-top:

Read the response of plaintiff’s counsel, after the jump.


The ending to this tale, like so many legal stories, is a bit anticlimactic. Defense counsel conceded the motion, and agreed to stop molesting plaintiff’s precious demonstrative aids. So counsel to the plaintiff was able to respond to Judge Wilson as follows:

P.S. By the way, for lovers of federal judicial trivia, the Arkansas Times profile of Judge Wilson is full of interesting tidbits. Judge Wilson was a leading trial lawyer in Arkansas before taking the bench, and as an advocate, he got to work with… Hillary!
Said Judge Wilson of the good senatrix, who aspires to be our first female president: “[W]hen Hillary first came into practice, I was associated with her in some criminal cases. She wanted broader experience. She was a very able lawyer.”
Fired up, and ready to litigate — on Day One!
An obstinate liberal: Judge Bill Wilson doesn’t fear the L word [Arkansas Times]

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