Since lawsuits between the state of Texas and Joe Biden are just frivolous performance art cooked up to keep Ken Paxton in Donald Trump’s good graces — much to George P. Bush’s chagrin — you’d be forgiven for not hanging on every word issued by an assigned magistrate laying out procedures for the initial scheduling conference. Time, date, and, yes, it’s over Zoom… that’s about all you need to grab while skimming over the order.
But that would be a mistake, because this case is being handled by Magistrate Judge Andrew Edison, who earned his inaugural Above the Law plaudits drafting a hilariously self-deprecating benchslap for some lawyers who never bothered to learn who he was.
Now he’s back, adding a little flair to an otherwise mundane scheduling order by admonishing the parties to maintain decorum.
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A very specific level of decorum.
One other note: you are NOT required to wear formal courtroom attire during the videoconference. You are, however, required to wear clothes.
When we say we’ve read the complaint and the emperor has no clothes, we’re being metaphorical about the quality of arguments Texas brought to the table.
Even though this has become a problem around the country, it’s unlikely that attorneys for either the feds or a state would show up naked. But, I guess better safe than sorry. I wouldn’t want to see Ken Paxton naked either.
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Earlier: Amazing, Self-Deprecating Benchslap For Attorneys Who Couldn’t Figure Out Which Federal Judge They Had
If This Is Constitutional, Our System Is Broken
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.