If companies have more, in many cases, legal rights than an individual human, so-called AIs will have almost just as many. The companies that control the AIs will hold on to their legal privilege.
The prosecution asks that the defense be precluded from asking #StormyDaniels whether she was arrested. Justice #Merchan agrees w/the prosecutors, saying that “anybody can be arrested” & that it “doesn’t prove anything.”
The people call Stormy Daniels back to the stand
#Trump atty #Necheles begins questioning by saying that in 2011, Daniels denied having had sex w/Trump.
Daniels says, w/some reluctance, that it was.
Throughout Daniels testimony she has shown she takes pride in her intelligence & her ability to be fast on her feet. She appeared unhappy to admit that there was something she had trouble understanding (many women feel this way as they are often dismissed).
#Hoffinger asks #StormyDaniels if she tweeted in response to an attack by a stranger who called her "a disgusting degenerate prostitute" & wished her luck walking down the street.
Defense had asked her about responding to this tweet by saying she would "dance down the street" if #Trump found himself in #legal trouble. But Hoffinger is showing the full #context of that exchange, & it's different from what the jury had been led to understand by defense.
The defense is asking for a mistrial & that #Trump be allowed to respond in public (not court) to #StormyDaniels's testimony. To be clear. Trump is asking the court to lift the #legal restrictions of the #GagOrder, so he can publicly attack a witness’s testimony.
#TrumpTrial starts HERE. #Trump#legal
Please remember I don’t reply while live-posting. Plz use NFL (Not For Laffy, but no hashtag) so I can ignore those replies.
1/… Bower:
Trump enters the courtroom. Before arriving, he lingered for a moment in the doorway, talking to his lawyers, Emile Bove and Todd Blanche. He had a piece of paper in his hand, which he waved around as he spoke.
🤦🏻♀️ Lawyers for Donald #Trump asked a New York appeals court to rule on their challenge to the #GagOrder limiting what the former president can say about witnesses in the criminal hush money trial, according to people familiar with the matter. #legal
1/... The only hot take I've seen is from Joyce Vance saying this would push the trial past the election. That seems pretty rational to me.
But hopefully, the outcome will be ok
Via Anthony M Kreis:
For everyone complaining about the Fulton County case appeal, let me just say that our #Georgia Court of Appeals has incredibly smart, hard-working, and serious judges. They are good and decent folks by and large. So cool it on your hot takes and conspiracy theories there.
The decision to hear the appeal reopens the possibility that#FaniWillis, the Fulton County district attorney, could be disqualified from prosecuting Trump & 14 #CoConspirators over efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
At issue is a romantic relationship she had w/ #NathanWade, a lawyer she hired to handle the prosecution of #Trump. Defense lawyers argued that the relationship amounted to an untenable conflict of interest, & that DA #FaniWillis & her entire office should be removed from the case.
NEW: The #Georgia Court of Appeals will take up #Trump’s immediate appeal of lower court order that declined to disqualify Fulton County district attorney #FaniWillis. #legal 1/…
JUST IN: #Arizona indictment of #Trump allies is finally logged on the state's online docket and reflects at least a tentative arraignment scheduled for May 21 #legal
REMEMBER: I can’t/won’t reply while live-posting. Please use NFL (Not For Laffy) so I can skip your reply, but NO hashtag on that. Thx.
Picking up after my "mistrial" thread/ 1/...
All via McB for awhile:
Counsel approaches, brief sidebar
"Binoculars down."
As I mentioned, courtroom rules strictly enforced. During sidebar, court security doesn't allow reporters to use binoculars they had brought to see exhibits and facial expressions better
REMEMBER: I can’t/won’t reply while live-posting. Please use NFL (Not For Laffy) so I can skip your reply, but NO hashtag on that. Thx.
1/…
Tyler McBrien::
Necheles rises to renew Trump's objection to Daniels testifying about any "sexual details," which she says has no relevance and is prejudicial.
By details, Merchan asks, more than just "we had sex"? Yes, Necheles says.
The jury is not present for these procedural motion hearings. It would be better if they knew Justice Merchan’s ruling & admonition to #Trump#legal team. given that they were present when #Merchan admonished #StormyDaniels & prosecution during the morning #testimony.
Merchan reminds the defense that “the remedy is on cross-examination,” meaning that the defense will be able to make its own case as it questions Daniels.
NEW: The Manhattan DA’s Office advises Judge Merchan that they expect to be done with their case-in-chief two weeks from tomorrow. #TrumpTrial#legal#Trump
Former #Trump Org. comptroller Jeff McConney is now off the stand, but centerpiece of his direct exam wasn't even something he said. It was handwriting he recognized, specifically that of Allen Weisselberg, on doc
It's Weisselberg's handwriting McConney testified, in which Weisselberg sketched out the plan to repay Cohen = $180k for the Stormy payment and another, unrelated $50k, doubled to "gross up" Cohen for tax purposes, & w another $60k on the top for a "bonus" #legal
Justice Merchan starts off will the prosecution motion for contempt.
He tells Trump he's about to issue his ruling, in which he will again find Trump in contempt of court.
The last thing I want to do is put you in jail, Justice Merchan says to Trump. You are the former President of the United States and possibly the next President as well.
But "going forward," he continues, "this court will have to consider jail sanctions" if necessary.
Al Jazeera rejected accusations that it harmed Israel's #security as a "dangerous & ridiculous lie" that puts its #journalists at risk & said it reserved the right to "pursue every #legal step"
The network is funded by the #Qatar govt & has been critical of Israel's #military op in Gaza.…
We are still underestimating the historical gravity--the dark awesomeness--of the last answer #HopeHicks gave under direct examination.
She revealed, in essence, that #Trump admitted to her that he would have lost in 2016 had he not committed 34 felonies.
Sit a moment with that."
A court drawing of the judge, a blond woman, an #TFG w/ notes saying, "I'm automatically attracted...