#new jersey criminal defense attorney

[newjerseyduilawoffice]

[brunoandferraro]

Facing criminal charges can wreak Problem on your life. Protect yourself and your rights with a team of highly skilled New Jersey criminal defense lawyers. If you find yourself in a situation involving criminal accusations in New Jersey.

[jabalaw]

Top Criminal Defense  Attorneys in New Jersey | NJ Defense Attorneys

A reliable and well-known law office in New Jersey, Marshall Criminal Defense & DWI Lawyers offers clients facing criminal accusations excellent legal counsel. With years of experience defending clients against all kinds of criminal allegations, our team of top New Jersey Criminal Defense Attorneys has a comprehensive understanding of the criminal justice system.

[the-scarlet-witch-22]

Love and Liabilities (Agatha Harkness x FemReader): Chapter One

Summary: While you attend a pretrial conference for your current case, you’re stunned to learn your opposing council is your former ex…and law school professor, Agatha Harkness

Word Count: 4.7k

Tags: 18+ Minors Do Not Engage!! Smut, Light Choking, Light Degradation Kink, Mommy Kink, Hate Sex

A/N: Hi :) This idea has been bouncing around my brain since the promo pics came out. Lawyer Agatha, the gift we all need for the new year. This is my first real attempt at writing smut, but I hope y’all enjoy. Updates will be around every 2 weeks. If you’d like to be added to a tag list, please let me know. Feel free to let me know what you think! 💜 Also a special shout-out to my sweet girlfriend, Sarah, thank you for always listening to my crazy ideas.

Smoothing out a wrinkle from your pantsuit, you looked over your case materials from outside the courtroom. It had been almost a decade since you graduated law school, and you’d spent the time since working in corporate law as a junior attorney, before leaving the firm and working your way up as a top prosecutor. To say you were married to your job would be an understatement. It wasn’t enough to be good, you simply had to be the best. You’d always pride yourself on your ability to dig deep in a case and pull out missing details, or find a crack in a seemingly perfect alibi. You were ruthless, but you knew you had to be. The defense attorneys you found yourself battling in court were absolute sharks, and if they sensed an ounce of hesitation on your end it would be a total bloodbath.

Dealing with criminal defense cases was as interesting as it sounded, although it wasn’t what you envisioned you’d be doing after law school. You had different dreams back then, more altruistic visions of helping those who needed it. Closing your eyes, you saw a brief flash of the strikingly blue eyes and dark hair that caused you to change your choice of career, before you quickly shook those thoughts aside. It had been almost ten years since you’d allowed yourself to think about her- about any of it, and it wouldn’t benefit you to take a stroll down memory lane before the biggest case of your career.

A law clerk eventually came by to inform you the judge was ready for you. This was it. Gathering your materials, you walked through the details again in your mind. Pre-trial conferences were relatively helpful when trying to reach a plea bargain, review evidence, as well as decide what to present to the jury. There was no doubt in your mind that this case would go to trial. After all, a woman who kidnaps two children and takes them to a small town in New Jersey didn’t leave much to plead innocent from. What was the name of it, Westchester? Westmont? No, no, you mentally crossed those out, until the name finally came to mind…Westview. Westview, New Jersey.

The room was relatively empty, and you recognized the judge, Carol Danvers. She had a reputation for being rather uptight, but was typically fair in her rulings. She’d moved up through various circuit courts throughout her career, and you’d heard rumblings she was being eyed for a potential Supreme Court nomination. Setting your briefcase on the empty chair next to you, you thought of any possible hiccups from the defense. Supposedly a brief psych evaluation had been done after the incident to rule anything out, so they wouldn’t try and plead insanity, right? You couldn’t see Carol ruling in favor of that. There was the small problem of genetics; the woman was the boys’ birth mother. But, you’d looked over the adoption contracts, as had your colleagues, and they were airtight. It had been a closed adoption, and from what you could tell there had been no contact for over a decade. Plus, with solid testimonies from both families and multiple eyewitnesses you weren’t worried of whatever argument the defense would make in her favor.

Speaking of the defense, you quickly realized the defense attorney hadn’t arrived yet, which was a bit unusual. Racking your brain, you tried to remember the name of the attorney Yelena said was leading the case, but no one came to mind. Pepper Potts perhaps? Carol also appeared to notice the lack of the second attorney, as she whispered with one of the law clerks. You could barely make out what they were saying, but she sounded annoyed. But, no matter, you knew this had absolutely no impact on you.

Carol finally sighed in defeat at whatever the law clerk told her, something about hitting a fire hydrant? “Well, as we’re waiting on the defense to resolve their…tardiness, will the prosecution step forward?”

Standing up, you grabbed a copy of your materials, evidence, testimonies, anything the judge would need, before taking a step towards the judge. “Your honor, the state of New York is ready to move forward with our case. You’ll find sufficient evidence to dismiss any plea deal, as well as ensure we can schedule a trial date.”

Handing the papers to the judge, you watched as she flipped through them, an unreadable expression on her face. Minutes passed before she looked up at you. “The prosecution is dismissing the plea deal being proposed by the defense?”

Nodding, you recalled the deal that had been sent over to your office. It was preposterous, and was heavily dependent on the mental state of the defendant, or rather the lack of mental state of the defendant. “Yes, your honor. The state has inculpatory evidence to convict the defendant, as well as a number of witnesses willing to testify.”

A voice you’d only heard in your dreams for the past decade spoke up, and you nearly froze in place. “Inculpatory evidence? That’s a rather bold claim, I’d call it circumstantial at best.”

It couldn’t be. Paralyzed, you forced yourself to ignore it, to ignore her and keep your eyes locked forward. It couldn’t possibly be her, you would have remembered hearing her name as the defense attorney. Clearing your throat, you continued, trying to keep yourself calm. “With all due respect, your honor, the typical procedure for a case involving the abduction of a minor is what we’re basing this precedent on-”

An obnoxiously loud cackle cut you off, and nearly made you whip your head around in annoyance. The slow clacking of heels echoed throughout the room, followed by the faint scent of Burberry that invaded your senses. Brief flashes of lecture halls and late night office hour visits intertwined with the smell of cigars and expensive whiskey. Lengthy, heated arguments over the moral justification of various Supreme Court rulings whilst being undressed and pressed against the door. Diamond jewelry and lavish bouquets being delivered to your modest law school apartment as you sheepishly explained to your roommates you were seeing an older woman. Secret rendezvous in dimly lit piano bars in Manhattan which would end in a king size bed in a penthouse you could never dream of affording.

It all led back to the same thought, the same woman you’d done your best to let go of. The very same woman you currently found yourself standing face to face with. Agatha Harkness. Clever blue eyes met yours, and a slow smirk painted her perfect red lips. She hadn’t changed much over the past decade. Her dark hair, now peppered with some gray, was pinned back with a few loose strands framing her face, and you briefly thought of how well it suited her. The fitted black pantsuit which accentuated her features, and black heels that made her look deceptively tall as she towered over you.

For a moment it was as if no time had passed at all, and you were back in her lecture hall. But as quickly as that oddly nostalgic feeling overcame you like a tidal wave, it swept away, leaving you with the reality of the situation. Clearing your throat, you looked past Agatha, keeping your focus on Judge Danvers. “As I was saying. While looking at prior cases involving the abduction of a minor we were able to set a precedent that-”

Agatha let out another cackle, and it took everything in you to not roll your eyes. However it appeared Carol was at the end of her rope with patience, as she banged her gavel twice. “Does the defense have something they wish to share with the rest of us?”

“Your honor,” Agatha drawled out, her voice sweet like honey, “The prosecution is making bold assumptions on precedents that do not directly follow the evidence of this particular case. To rule anything otherwise would be direct defamation to my client.”

“Defamation?” You all but hissed, momentarily forgetting you were in the middle of a courtroom. The answering smirk Agatha gave you only fuelled your fire. “Your honor, the defense is all but negating the direct evidence of the defendant’s guilt. We would like to proceed to trial while throwing out the plea deal.”

Agatha’s shark tooth grin widened, and you had a sneaking suspicion she was baiting you to get a reaction. Typical, as she always prided herself on being ten steps ahead of her opponent. Taking a deep breath, you regained your calm composure. It would do you no good to allow your emotions to take over. That would merely ensure Agatha to have one more victory over you, one more thing she would take away from you. But things were different this time, you weren’t some feeble, naive law student fawning over her professor. The playing field was finally leveled, and it was about time she realized that.

Unfortunately, you forgot Agatha never played fair. You curiously watched her grab two folders from her briefcase, all but tossing one at you whilst handing Carol the other. “While we’re discussing the plea deal your honor, I’ve included additional information regarding my client’s psychiatric evaluation.”

Practically tearing the folder open, your eyes scanned the lengthy documents before landing on something that nearly made you fall over. Before you could get a word in, Agatha continued on. “Due to our country’s ever failing healthcare and medical practices, my client has been unable to receive a proper psychiatric evaluation. Your honor, I am requesting a continuance to this trial until my client can get the help she needs.”

Carol’s focus remained on the papers, an inscrutable expression coloring her features. “I’m granting a one month continuance for the defendant, Wanda Maximoff, to be given a psychiatric evaluation. As long as Miss Maximoff follows the terms of her probation and doesn’t leave the state of New York, we’ll resume this conference one month from today. Thank you to the prosecution and defense, you’re dismissed.”

Not wanting to see the smug smirk on Agatha’s face, you packed up your materials, including the folder Agatha gave you, and did your best to hurry out of the courtroom. It was foolish to think you’d beat Agatha at the game she taught you to play. That’s what it always was to Agatha, a game. It was like everyone around her was playing checkers while she was constructing the most elaborate game of chess known to man. All while she moved you around as whatever piece she desired; because that’s how she viewed you, as an object she could twist and mold to her liking until you outlived your usefulness.

Ignoring the familiar sound of her heels approaching, you drafted a quick email to one of your colleagues with the news of the trial being halted before going to order your Uber. You didn’t have to look up to know Agatha was standing in front of you, because that was just part of her intricate plan. She surely knew you were furious, because of course she did. Hadn’t she once told you she knew everything? At the time you thought it was a cheeky remark to make you laugh, but looking back you came to terms with the fact that the only person Agatha Harkness could ever care for was herself.

You were growing weary of the rising tension, so you finally broke the silence, keeping your eyes locked on your phone. “Can I help you with something?”

“I’m not sure,” Agatha replied, and although you weren’t looking at her you could practically feel her gaze burning into you. “I never took you for a sore loser, dear.”

There it was, she was trying to get her claws back in you. Keeping your tone even, you checked on the status of your Uber. “I’m not sure I know what you’re referring to. I’m just doing my job.”

Before you could comprehend what was happening, your phone was ripped from your hands. “Hey!” You exclaimed, angrily whipping your head up and your eyes narrowed, meeting the deep blue eyes you used to get lost in. “Give me back my phone.”

“Checking for your ride?” Agatha mocked, arching an eyebrow up at you. “Is that more interesting than talking to me?”

“Watching paint dry would be more interesting than speaking with you,” You retorted, your discomfort quickly growing.

“Now darling, is that any way to speak to me?” Agatha teased, her voice gradually dropping in volume. “It’s been so long.”

Glaring at her, you tried to pry your phone from her hands, but she put it in her back pocket. “And whose fault is that again?” Your voice was laced with venom, you subconsciously wanted to make her feel as badly as you had. “Should we take a stroll down memory lane and recall what caused this?”

Agatha’s gaze hardened at that jab, and you momentarily wondered if you pushed too hard. “I’m surprised you’re leading this case. I thought you wanted to,” she paused and used air quotes, “‘help the voiceless’, not strangle them.”

“How dare you,” You seethed, not caring that your voice was growing in volume. “I’m just doing my job, Agatha. Besides, isn’t strangling the helpless what you do best?”

Agatha tilted her head back, and let out another cackle. “Doing your job? You’re trying to imprison an innocent mother.”

“Your innocent mother kidnapped two minors and took them over state lines,” You fired back, vaguely aware that Agatha was taking small, slow steps towards you.

“She’s still their mother,” Agatha pointed out and you felt your face grow red from rage.

“Regardless of DNA, it was a closed adoption. She waived her parental rights,” You argued, unaware of anything but the infuriating woman standing in front of you. “Surely you’ve been practicing long enough to know how to read a contract.”

“And I thought I taught you to read between the lines of said contracts,” Agatha countered, and you knew she was testing your argument, it’s what she always did. “Things aren’t always black and white, dear.”

No they weren’t, you silently agreed. By this point your back was to the wall of the deserted corridor, Agatha still towering over you. Your faces were practically touching, and you could practically taste her lips. Both of you were panting from the exertion of bickering, and it wouldn’t take much to close the distance. She was so close, closer than she had been to you in so long. Having her back in your orbit, taking over all of your senses, made you forget the reasons you were so angry with her. Instead, it made you remember how many other times you had found yourself in this exact same position.

You could feel your ironclad restraint begin to slip away, and Agatha appeared to notice it as well. She let out a low chuckle as she turned her face to the side, her breath now hot against your ear, and allowing her to whisper, “Looks like it still doesn’t take much to get you riled up, does it?”

Shuddering, you struggled to get your breathing even, thinking of the many reasons why this was a horrible idea. Your history aside, you were on opposing sides of what would most likely be a very public case. It wasn’t just unprofessional to be doing this, it could potentially jeopardize your whole career. But it was hard to think about any of that when you locked eyes with the woman you had spent so much time trying to forget. Her right hand left your waist to push back the loose strands of your hair, tucking them behind your ear.

Each movement was slow, and delicate, and as her fingers slowly trailed down your neck, she gently squeezed, before gradually applying more pressure, and you had to physically restrain yourself from moaning. You could feel the heat pooling between your legs and had to close your eyes from the overwhelming sensation. Agatha’s lips moved to your neck, pressing hot, open kisses on your flesh while her fingers began to move lower, cupping your left breast before slowly pinching your nipple. This time you couldn’t stop the quiet moan that left your lips, and Agatha quickly used her free hand to silence you, covering your mouth.

“You always had a problem being quiet,” Agatha murmured, lips still on your skin. “Let’s find somewhere more…secluded to continue this, hm?”

Feeling yourself nod, you opened your eyes and let out a pathetic whine as she let go of you. It didn’t take long to find an empty storage closet, and Agatha practically shoved you inside before slamming the door behind her.

Pressing you against the bare wall, her eyes scanned yours before asking, “Are you sure?”

Being with Agatha like this was the greatest euphoric high, and it always left you wanting more and more. It didn’t have to mean anything, and you certainly didn’t want it to. It was just two people working out their frustrations, right? You nodded again, grabbing her right hand and placing it back around your throat. “Are you going to choke me again or are you too much of a coward?”

She nearly growled at that, and squeezed, a little rougher this time. You pressed your face into her shoulder, trying to silence the noises you always made when she touched you. She had barely started but it was so good, and you didn’t hesitate when she used her free hand to try and remove your blazer. Taking a step back to take off your blouse and bra, you nearly tripped over some boxes, and her hands steadied you.

“Careful,” She lightly teased, eyes still dark from arousal. “I’m not nearly finished with you.”

Her hands skillfully unhooked your bra, carelessly tossing it to the side, before lowering her mouth to your breast, and lewdly sucked. As if she anticipated the noises you’d inevitably make, she roughly pressed two fingers in your open mouth for you to suck. Moaning around them, you eagerly sucked and sucked, thinking of where you wanted her fingers to go next. Agatha’s tongue swirled around your nipple, teasing it enough to make it go erect before using her teeth to pull. You felt your eyes roll to the back of your head, your last functioning brain cells wondering how she could still have this strong of an effect on you.

She let out a low hum, clearly enjoying this as much as you were before moving to your other breast, only this time she bit down, and the rush of pain and pleasure flooded you. Unable to cry out as she fucked her fingers further down your throat before adding a third, causing you to gag around them. Releasing your breast, Agatha panted out, “Look at how pathetic you are, sucking on my fingers like a good little slut. What a good girl.”

Whimpering around her fingers, you clenched at the filth spewing from her lips. You hated this, how easily she could flip the switch and have you dripping and wanting her to fuck you through the floorboards. Agatha cooed, using her free hand to gently stroke your face, and roughly pulled her fingers out of your mouth. She was face level again, and you watched the gears turn in her head as she weighed out what to do with you. That same free hand cupped your jaw, and she was so close, your brain buzzing from the endorphins. It was so good, you hated how good it was.

Her normally perfectly red lips were stained and parted slightly as she looked at you with an indecipherable stare, and you were still breathless from her earlier ministrations. Before you could fully comprehend what you were doing, you grabbed her hair and smashed your lips together. You swore you heard her groan, but it was gone as quickly as it came, and you had no time to contemplate it as you felt her tongue teasing the entrance of your mouth. It has been so long, so very long, but you fell back into the familiar dance you could never forget.

Everything Agatha did she dominated, for she had such a strong presence that was impossible to ignore. Just kissing her was enough to get you off, as her tongue expertly swirled around yours, sending you further and further from the edge of reality. You were so far gone you barely noticed her hands moving lower, and lower, until they were pawing at your ass. Groping and grabbing, she was insatiable as she conquered your mouth. You broke apart for merely a second and without speaking, you helped get rid of your pants, slightly stunned you were still this in sync after all this time.

But again, you had no time to ponder that thought as Agatha quickly slammed you against the wall, and you couldn’t help but moan at the pain. The same fingers you eagerly sucked on were now teasing your entrance, rubbing gentle, slow circles. Agatha’s breath was hot in your ear, and you whined, trying to thrust your hips up for more friction. You needed more, you needed her more than ever before. Going without for so long was fine, you’d nearly forgotten what it felt like, what she felt like; but the second you remembered you couldn’t bear a second without it.

“Someone’s awfully worked up,” Agatha taunted, her voice softly whispering in your ear. “Did you want something?”

“Agatha…” You breathed out, your voice nearly cracking. “Please…”

Her fingers teased your clit, and the sensation made you cry out, causing Agatha to silence you with yet another kiss. “Behave,” she murmured against your lips, “Do you want me inside you? Do you want me to fill that sweet little cunt?”

Mewling, you again tried to tilt your hips up, desperate to feel her inside you, but her other hand kept you in place. “Agatha, please, I…I need it, please fuck me.”

Agatha arched an eyebrow, “I know your brain just melts when that pussy gets wet, but we both know that’s not what you want to call me, is it?” Blushing, you tried to avert your eyes but it was impossible. She nipped at your lips before continuing. “Be a good girl and beg for it.”

“Mommy,” The words slipped past your lips and you felt another rush of heat between your legs while Agatha moaned.

“Good girl,” Agatha praised you, and before you could prepare yourself she roughly entered you with two fingers, filling you completely.

Her fingers were so long and so good, hitting the spots you had trouble reaching. You couldn’t help but clench around them, and she groaned in your ear. Wasting no time, she set a fast and hard rhythm, skillfully fucking you better than anyone else since her had been able to.

“I almost forgot how good your cunt feels around my fingers,” Agatha hissed, nibbling on your ear, “Suck me in, slut.”

Your hips met her fingers, and you desperately chased your orgasm. “Harder, please mommy fuck me harder.”

Putting all of her weight on you, Agatha swiftly added a third finger and you nearly squealed at how full you felt. Her fingers were so deep, and you were so close, so very close to the edge.

“Such a good whore for mommy,” Agatha cooed, and her voice was strained, you could tell she was close too. “Do you want to come on my fingers?”

“Mommy please,” You cried out, unable to focus on anything but wanting to feel her fingers make you come harder than you could ever remember.

Agatha’s hips rested against your knee, and she began riding your leg, chasing her own high. “Come for mommy, baby. Soak my fingers.”

Twisting her fingers and hitting your G-spot again, and again causing you to quickly unravel. Feeling your orgasm coming, you clenched around her fingers, needing her to stay inside you. Your knees buckled and you swore you saw stars, unable to speak as you silently cried out. Agatha came right as you did, grunting in your ear and roughly thrusting against your leg as she came undone.

“Fuck,” She panted, keeping her fingers inside you as you continued to twitched around them. “Good girl, such a good girl for mommy.”

Breathing heavily, you gradually felt yourself come back to Earth. You were drenched with sweat, and you were sure you looked positively debauched. Agatha was staring at you with yet another inscrutable expression on her face, and you felt yourself relaxing around her fingers as she slowly pulled out. You grabbed her hand, and lewdly cleaned her fingers off, watching her eyes darken once more as you made a point to swirl your tongue around them until they were clean.

As your brain fog cleared, you were all too aware of the uncomfortable silence growing around you. With every high that came with being with Agatha, it was almost always followed by an indescribable low. There were so many things you wanted to ask her, so many things you needed to know. Brief flashes of arguments and slamming doors. Dozens of unanswered calls, and late nights spent wondering what you had done wrong to deserve her random outbursts of anger. But with every argument, every heated fight, it would always end the same way; with Agatha pressing you against some surface and having her way with you.

There had been so much more going on at that point than you were aware of, and as the pieces slowly came together, she was too far gone for you to be able to help. You’d begged and pleaded with her, but it never mattered. What was it your therapist had said to you? You couldn’t help someone who didn’t want to help themselves. Letting go of her nearly killed you, and now you made the mistake of opening that door again, knowing how much more complicated it would be. You weren’t just her law student anymore, you were on opposing sides of a trial.

It appeared Agatha was having the same train of thought as you, for she wordlessly helped you find your clothes. In spite of her just being inside you, you made a point of turning around as you got dressed, as the air in the room seemed to drop and any of the warmth that had been there prior had disappeared. There was so much you wanted to say, yet simultaneously wanted to get as far away from her as you could.

Agatha finally broke the silence as she fixed her hair, and she was back to her usual condescending self. “You know you’re wrong pursuing this case, right? It’s not too late to back out.”

Rolling your eyes, you finally grabbed your phone from her back pocket and saw your Uber driver understandably canceled your ride. That would certainly tank your rating. You quickly ordered another before replying with, “You know this meant absolutely nothing to me, right?”

Pushing past her to exit the room, she let out another cackle, the sound like grating nails on a chalkboard in your ears. You knew she wouldn’t follow you, and you were thankful for that. This was an indiscretion, a momentary lapse of judgment. You’ve been on edge with all the extra hours you’ve been working; you weren’t thinking clearly. The courthouse was still relatively empty, and you left the building, trying to get the thought of Agatha out of your mind. Why did she have to be so infuriating?

Your Uber eventually rolled up and as you got in you went to check your work email. It never failed to amaze you how quickly your inbox would fill up when you didn’t check it for more than five minutes. Scrolling through, you vaguely listened to the music your driver had in in the background, until a familiar song started playing. Frank Sinatra, a favorite artist of a certain attorney. The Way You Look Tonight had always been one of her favorites, and you could remember the last time you listened to it together.

Your mind absentmindedly drifted, the memories you’d tried to lock away slowly creeping back up to the surface. It seemed no matter how hard you tried to forget, she didn’t want you to. Settling into your seat, listening to Frank Sinatra, you thought back to the first time you met Agatha, or rather, how you met Professor Harkness.

[disillusioneddanny]

You Are in Love Jazz/Cass

Jasmine Fenton let out a sigh as she followed behind her boss as they made their way across the large ballroom. It was the annual Wayne Charity Gala for Criminal Justice Reform and as a public defender at Gotham County Courthouse, Jazz was unfortunately obligated to be there rubbing elbows with rich, pretentious assholes. It was for a wonderful cause, and all of the money went to local nonprofit organizations that helped give people the life-saving resources that would keep them from reoffending or resorting to working for the Goonion as Jazz had heard it called.

When she had first graduated from Harvard Law, she hadn’t known what exactly she wanted to do. What kind of law she wanted to practice, who she wanted to help. And then Danny had told her about how bad Gotham was. After he had started working with Constantine and the rest of the Justice League Dark on the more magical problems, he had started to tell Jazz about all of the horrors of Gotham from when the bats called him there for assistance.

It was then that Jazz finally realized what it was that she was wanting to do. She wanted to help reform the horrible justice system that was the Gotham City justice system and help with the major crime that was going on there. So she had put in an application to be a public defender in Gotham County to help the most disenfranchised people of Gotham and she found her way to New Jersey of all places.

Four years later and the public defender’s office had been completely redone under the watchful eye of Jasmine Fenton and she had managed to make it work like a well oiled machine. She had helped partner with a few nonprofits who helped them work on their basic needs while the PD’s office focused more on helping them keep from going to prison or worse–Arkham.

It wasn’t a perfect system but it was getting better. So here she was, prepared to schmooze with the best of them to get more funding for all of the different organizations that were helping them reduce Gotham recidivism. For the first time in her life, Jazz found herself thankful for the lessons that she had received from Vlad when it came to trying to get people to give her money. Not that she would ever admit that to her godfather.

She plastered her most pleasant smile on her face as she floated through the ballroom, trying to not be self conscious of the fact that she was in a long, green ball gown that had already caused a few people to make comments about the fact that combined with her red hair was reminiscent of Poison Ivy. It was a little embarrassing but her girlfriend had told her multiple times that she looked good in it and that had her feeling a bit better. If her girlfriend thought it looked good, then it had to be.

She would never lie to Jazz.

Jazz was slightly suspicious that her girlfriend didn’t even know how to lie.

Teal eyes roved through the city as she eyed the other gala guests, looking for her next target. She really needed to find someone to chat with or else she was going to start looking a bit too awkward.

Then, her eyes landed on the most beautiful woman in the room and Jazz felt her stomach flutter a bit in anticipation as she made her way to Jazz.

Jasmine Fenton was a ruthless, cutthroat defense attorney. She scared Harvey Dent. Yet her girlfriend seemed to make her weak at the knees every time she so much as looked Jazz’s way.

Cassandra Wayne was the only daughter of Brucie Wayne, the playboy billionaire and host of their lovely gala for the night. Jazz had met her for the first time just two years prior when she had been forced to attend her first gala. The woman had been following Brucie around like a shadow, a pleasant, if not forced smile plastered onto her face as she followed the man around the room, sneaking glasses of champagne from her overly intoxicated father’s hand whenever she thought he had been drinking too much, or glaring menacingly at women who tried to approach the older man in attempts to get him to bring them home.

Then her eyes had landed on Jazz and she had given her the most genuine, beautiful smile that the redhead had ever seen. Jazz had found herself compelled to go over and talk to both Brucie and his daughter and it was probably the best decision she had ever made in her life. Bruce had managed to convince Cass to drift off with Jazz while he got into a long conversation with one of the DA’s who was also at attendance at that gala.

Which was fine with Jazz. The two ladies had found themselves chatting the rest of the night, trading stories, people watching, commiserating over the fact that they were forced to even be at a gala in the first place. And then as the night had come to an end, Cassandra had slipped Jazz a napkin with a phone number and a smiley face before she gave Jazz another one of those breathtaking smiles that had her swooning where she stood.

And really, the rest was history. The women had found themselves talking more and more, seeking one another out whenever they had the chance. Jazz had gone to see Cass’s ballet shows and Cass started to make weekly trips to the courthouse to make sure that the red head was eating properly and taking care of herself.

Somehow they had found themselves here. In a happy, comfortable relationship, living together in a nice brownstone in Upper Gotham and attending fancy galas together. Cass still followed her father like a shadow and Jazz still had to unfortunately kiss ass to a bunch of rich billionaires but sometime during the night they would find one another and get just a little too wrapped up in one another to even notice anyone else.

“Fancy seeing you here, beautiful,” a soft, polite voice said, as strong, calloused hands twined with Jazz’s dainty soft ones. Jazz looked down at her gorgeous, amazing, beautiful girlfriend and felt her cheeks go red like it was that first night all over again.

“I know, it’s almost like your father is hosting the charity ball,” Jazz said with a soft snort. Cass gave her that soft, secretive smile that always seemed to draw the older woman in.

Her kohl lined eyes rolled once as she glanced over at where Bruce was laughing loudly, throwing his arm over Oliver Queen’s shoulder as he laughed raucously, causing others to look over at him in thinly veiled disdain.

“Yes, he does enjoy coming to these,” Cass said, her nose crinkled ever so slightly. Jazz just gave her girlfriend a small smile.

“He seems to be really hamming it up tonight,” Jazz said with a laugh as her girlfriend just let out a tired sigh and shook her head. That was one of the fun parts of getting to know Cass, Jazz started to learn a bit more about all of the family and their treasure trove of secrets. She learned that Bruce Wayne wasn’t nearly as ditzy and arrogant as he let people think and was much more level headed and open. She had gotten to know each of Cass’s siblings as well and learn a bit more of each of them.

And then she had gotten to learn the real secret about the Waynes after dating her girlfriend for a year. She had learned about their nightly activities and had been more than excited to learn as much as she could about them. Not only that but then she got to listen to them tell her fun stories about her baby brother. Apparently he worked rather closely with Cass’s younger brother, Tim and the two caused more chaos than Danny had ever let her know about.

It was fun, getting to know all of the secrets behind her girlfriend, to learn every facet of who she was and how she came to be. How there were days when words were just too much for the shorter women, when days were so hard and difficult that she couldn’t seem to get out of bed. Then there were the days when her laugh filled their apartment along with the pitter patter of her feet as she danced along the kitchen to music only she could hear.

And Jazz found herself able to talk to someone who understood what it was like to grow up with just plain insanity. She felt more comfortable telling Cass about her childhood, opening up about the fact that the reason she was interested in justice reform was because her own parents had been thrown in prison when she had been just twenty years old after what they had done to Danny. Not to mention the years of neglect that they had endured under her parents' care.

Cass never looked at her like she was insane when she mentioned times where she had to beat down turkeys with a baseball bat. They found solace in one another, a comfort that Jazz had never felt before in her life. She found acceptance in Cassandra Wayne and she was addicted to it. In love with the feeling of being in love.

Cass treated Jazz like she was fine china, a delicate thing that needed to be treasured and loved. And Jazz made sure that Cass felt the same way, that Cass knew that she was loved and valued. That the shorted, hardened woman knew that she was more than just a weapon for other’s to use. That she could be more than just Black Bat.

That she could be whatever she wanted to be. That she was Jazz’s tiny dancer that she adored endlessly.

“Would you like to dance?” Cass asked, the corners of her eyes crinkled slightly with her smile.

“You just like showing off,” Jazz said with a roll of her eyes before taking Cass’s hand, watching the way her yellow ball gown seemed to swish around her as she led the taller woman to the dance floor.

“I like showing you off, yes,” Cass said simply before she rested her hand on Jazz’s waist, the other holding Jazz’s hand carefully. “How is it?”

“It’s fine,” Jazz said with a huff as she looked around at the other party goers. “We’re raising a lot of money already and we haven’t even gotten to the silent auction yet. I just hate having to play nice with all of these people.”

“Better than me,” Cass said simply as she allowed Jazz to twirl her around a bit. Jazz gave her a small smile and shook her head in amusement.

“You just have to smile and you have everyone here vying for your attention. You’re the favorite out of Brucie’s kids, you know,” Jazz told her with a small grin.

“Whatever. Tim’s the favorite,” Cass pointed out. Jazz just shook her head and dipped Cass down before pulling her back and giving the woman a soft kiss.

“Whatever you say,” she murmured, lips a hair’s breadth from Cass’s. “If it’s any consolation, you’re my favorite.”

Cass let out a hum, her eyes fluttered closed for a moment as she relished in the attention from the red head. “Everyone is watching.”

“Let them,” Jazz said, running her nose along Cass’s jawline for a moment before they went back to spinning and swaying and sashaying through the dance floor. “Isn’t that what you always tell me? Let them watch?”

Cass hummed. “Makes you more interesting,” she murmured. “Sometimes you’re scary, dancing makes you more approachable. More open.”

Jazz scoffed. “I’m approachable.”

“Intimidating,” Cass told her, pinching her side lightly. “Powerful women scare people. You’re powerful. Scarry. Unapproachable.”

“It’s not my fault that people are cowards and are intimidated by me,” Jazz grumbled. Cass just smiled and shook her head.

“No, but dancing makes you seem more approachable. More,” Cass paused and thought for a moment. “More human,” she finally said.

“I’m human,” Jazz argued.

“No, liminal. Big difference,” she said with a laugh. “Sometimes you stand too still, your eyes glow too much. Too strong, a little too other,” she said, smiling up at Jazz.

Jazz rolled her eyes and just gave her girlfriend another kiss. “Well, I suppose we can prove to everyone that I’m a non intimidating, kind, fully human person.”

Cass let out an excited giggle and allowed Jazz to spin her across the ballroom. The attorney just grinned as they took over the dancefloor, her love for her girlfriend bloomed in her chest.

[offender42085]

Post 1297

Jacob A Pommerehn, New Jersey inmate 612003G, born 1998, incarceration intake December 2017 at age 19, released June 2021

Reckless Manslaughter

In December 2017, a 19-year-old man was sentenced to five years in prison for the reckless manslaughter of his best friend, whom he shot in the head in a Jersey City parking lot the year before.

"There was drinking, there was smoking marijuana and they were doing other things," Hudson County Superior Court Judge Mark Nelson said at the sentencing of of Jacob Pommerehn, who fatally shot Anthony Rios, 17, on Van Horne Street on Sept. 12. 2016.

Nelson said the two friends were "playing with two guns" before Rios was struck in the head, adding "This insanity of people having guns and playing around with guns. I don't know what else to say - it's insanity."

Pommerehn, who has no prior criminal record, was very remorseful and sat crying silently at the defense table through most of the hearing. He was originally charged with aggravated manslaughter but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge.

Nelson said that after his arrest, Pommerehn posted bail and his father took him to a drug treatment facility. The judge recommended that he serve his sentence at a prison appropriate for his age and his substance abuse issues.

When Pommerehn made his first court appearance on the charges, his attorney said he is the son of a federal police officer and argued Rios' death was an "accident."

A spokesman for the United States Park Police said Pommerehen's father is John Pommerehn is a police officer with the marine patrols unit.

Jacob Pommerehn's criminal complaint said the teen had a Beretta .09 handgun and Walther P22 .22 handgun at the time of the shooting. The Park Police spokesman said those model weapons were not issued through the department.

"I don't think that any reasonable person would think that Mr. Pommerehn did this on purpose," Nelson said. "He has absolutely no involvement in the justice system as a juvenile or an adult - he didn't pay his light rail ticket once... I would be very surprised if Mr. Pommerehn was ever involved in the justice system again."

A third person with Rios and Pommerehn at the time of the shooting was not charged.

4l

[demonlys]

blasting  sinners  by  barns  courtney  down  main  street  we've  spotted  ZEHRA  ARDALI  sporting  their  necklace  made  of  a  steel  chain  forged  in  hell  and  a  pentecostal  coin  fashioned  into  a  pendant.  the  five  hundred  +  seventy-one  year  old  DEMON  who's  been  in  town  for  ten  months  often  can  be  seen  lingering  at  the  crossroads  when  nostalgia  hits  hard,  expanding  her  bruce  springsteen  album  collection  at  the  local  vinyl  store,  picking  up  the  mayor's  coffee  order  from  "hallowed grounds"  like  a  coffee  mule  in  a  power  suit,  or  working  as  the  MAYOR'S  EXECUTIVE  ASSISTANT  at  TOWN  HALL.  people  say  they  display  articulate  and  insouciant  traits,  but  we  rather  trust  their  vibes:  a  smile  that  promises  everything  and  delivers  nothing  ( she  gives  you  what  you  ask  for,  but  not  what  you  want ) ;  a  sleek,  polished  exterior  hiding  the  scars  of  a  long  life  lived  in  the  shadows ;  brown  eyes  that  have  seen  too  much  and  still  refuse  to  look  away ;  a  collector  of  contradictions  ⸺  she's  both  calm  and  chaotic,  full  of  smoldering  rage  and  detached  serenity.  also,  we've  heard  they  love  CHERRY  FLAVORED  LOLLIPOPS !  aren't  they  fascinating ?

(  !  )  CW  : mentions of death/murder, organized crime, violence, manipulation, demonic possession.

001. BASICS

goes by : zehra neslihan ardali demonic name(s) : zehra ( father, siblings, other demons ), belpharion ( mortals, other demons, celestial beings ⸺ it's like a formal or "professional" name ) nickname(s) : zee, zeze. also b, bel ( derogatory. probably mostly used by angels or someone being annoying ) age : thirty-five ( five-hundred and seventy-one ) years old gender : cis woman ( she/her ) orientation : pansexual species : demon. she's one of the mephistophelim, a child of the ancient demon mephistopheles. current occupation : mayor's executive assistant

002. VESSEL

neslihan ardali was born on may 29th, 1975 in mersin, türkiye. at a young age, her family relocated to the united states after her father secured a job in the medical field. the ardali family settled in allenhurst, new jersey and neslihan would grow up to become a criminal defense attorney, having earned her juris doctor degree from rutgers university. following graduation, she took the new york state bar exam and started calling the city that never sleeps her home. as a defense attorney, she represented a number of controversial clients, including mob figures. she was part of the defense team in some high-profile cases, representing individuals connected to organized crime families in new york. these cases occasionally attracted media attention, particularly her work in the legal defense of a member of the gambino crime family which earned her the moniker of "jersey girl lawyer" in the press. in 2010, months after the final mistrial that marked a win for the defense team, neslihan's life came to a tragic end at the hands of enforcers from a rival crime family.

003. PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

early reports of belpharion describe her as an imposing figure with long dark hair and a half-covered face. the silver mask that covered one side of her face was used to hide the scarred, disfigured features beneath. unlike some other demons, zehra's original form was primarily human-like, though it was marred by grotesque elements caused by a hellfire accident during her terrible two-hundreds, which left half her face severely scarred and mutilated. for over a decade now, she's taken over the likeness and identity of her chosen vessel, neslihan ardali ( changed to zehra neslihan ardali ). she has the ability to change her appearance, though it's a very limited ability that only allows her to show the demonic left side of her face ⸺ a nod to her past form.

004. POWERS & ABILITIES

she possesses the usual demon strengths and weaknesses. the following are abilities and powers that she may not share with other demons, unless they are of her kin : accelerated healing factor : despite her enhanced durability, it's still possible to injure zehra. however, her demon physiology enables her to heal faster than humans. teleportation : much like her siblings, she could teleport between earth and hell with no difficulty. unfortunately, she's been stripped of this power as punishment for an indiscretion. reality warping ( limited to deals ) : through mystical deals, she's able to fulfill almost any wish in exchange for something that they have ⸺ usually their souls. once the agreement is sealed, it's virtually impossible for the victim to escape compliance. the mephistophelim are known to mislead and use loopholes to turn a situation to their benefit, often playing with the wording of an agreement to their own advantage and the pain of the bargainer. while it's possible for a mephistophelim to undo a contract of their own making, it's not done without consequences. shape-shifting ( limited ) : she can slightly alter her appearance to make one side of her face look scarred and disfigured, displaying what's been referred to as her demonic face. in hell, she can completely change her form, but only if inside a hell loop. telekinesis ( limited ) : she can summon her necklace and her demon daggers ( blades forged from powerful mystical steel in hell ). this ability is extremely limited as she can only move specific personal items with her mind.

005. PERSONALITY TRAITS

charming but aloof ; has a penchant for sarcasm ; eye-rolling master ; selectively enthusiastic ; sees challenges as opportunities for a little fun ; loyal to those she cares about, though she may not always show it ; excels in the fine art of pulling strings ; tendency to keep her emotions guarded ; dismissive in the face of discomfort ; struggles with vulnerability ; can be condescending, particularly towards people she deems beneath her ; sometimes self-deprecating, but prefers to keep her insecurities hidden ; craves parental validation and approval more than she lets on ; possesses a dry, almost caustic humor, often laced with irony and cynicism ; has a rebellious streak that's often expressed in her defiance of expectations ; can be awkward in emotionally charged situations, despite her confident exterior ; skeptical of grand gestures and unrealistic ideals ; driven by both, self-interest and a sense of obligation ; turns out, she's got jokes.

006. STYLE

corporate chic, i guess?? power suits, tailored blazers, pencil skirts and bold colors that make her look like she's about to close a deal and steal the spotlight. "i could damn your soul with a glance but i'd rather do it in style" vibes.

007. SPEECH

her voice is smooth, controlled and deliberately measured, often laced with sarcastic or mocking undertones. tends to speak with an easy charm, her tone can be playful even when she's being cruel or manipulative. depending on the topic, she may come across as bored or exasperated, particularly when dealing with the absurdities of human existence, her delivery drifts into deadpan monotone. when genuinely angry or frustrated, her speech becomes more coldly biting and frantic, losing some of its polish and detached air. in moments of vulnerability, her voice softens, though even then, she strives to maintain control, masking any signs of weakness.

008. HISTORY

zehra spawns into existence shortly after the fall of constantinople and the rise of the ottoman empire ⸺ an event her father claims credit for. though not in history books, mephistopheles struck a deal with mehmed the conqueror on april 6th, 1453. in exchange for the city's capture within fifty-five days, mehmed would gain eternal glory, but his soul would be damned forever.

she is made from a sliver of primal soul ( a soul in its raw, underdeveloped state ), and mephistopheles' own blood and bones, at a dark altar in the pits of hell. the youngest of the mephistophelim, she spends her formative years trying not to step over the colossal egos of high-powered dealmakers who had already made a name for themselves.

as a rookie, zehra is normally assigned to hell loops like a common torture demon or called around to help her older siblings with tasks they prefer to avoid, they remain reluctant to dispose of big duties. though she isn't called upon for anything important in her early centuries, she is full of ambition and looking forward to her ascent in the infernal hierarchy. 

her terrible two-hundreds are, indeed, terrible. a promising, enthusiastic demon filled with youthful curiosity and an unhealthy obsession with "why". her questions become more frequent and much more annoying, she prods and pushes limits with disruptive ideas like a "vip suffering experience" or trying to unionize hell. her rebellious streak peaks with an accident involving uncontrolled hellfire that disfigures the left side of her face. her siblings are not impressed, but zehra's determination earns her a grudging respect and even her father, once skeptical of her potential, takes notice. but before she can take her place in the family business, she'll have to face the consequences of her actions. spoiler: sometimes demons get grounded too.

she spends the following decades scrubbing hell's floors ⸺ literally and figuratively, and once her "sentence" is up, she steps into the role she'd been eyeing. zehra becomes known for her ability to strike deals with ease, finding people on the edge of a moral collapse and subtly guiding them into hell's grasp. she knows how to twist words and she always gets a little more than what is expected, relying not on fear or fire but on psychological manipulation. she'll make someone feel guilty, entitled or deserving of more, exploiting their emotional weaknesses to make the deal feel inevitable.

as centuries pass, she begins to notice a sameness in her work. humans become predictable, their desires don't change and the deals grow hollow. the thrill of manipulating mortals starts to feel more like routine than fun. each new soul collected is no different from the last one, and while she doesn't experience remorse, she starts to grow weary of the endless cycle.

in 1929, zehra strikes a deal with mexican painter frida kahlo, offering fame and recognition for her personal art in exchange for her soul. despite her growing apathy towards the process, she admires kahlo's resilience in the face of physical pain. over the following years, zehra visits often, fascinated by how the artist channels suffering into her work. for the first time, she sees a bargainer not as a mere pawn in a game of souls, but as someone of true merit. in a bold move, zehra breaks the agreement, allowing kahlo's legacy to influence the world without the corruption of their pact. this decision isn't driven by pity or a desire to "save" the painter, but a genuine recognition of frida's greatness. this act of defiance infuriates mephistopheles.

as punishment for her indiscretion and to prevent her from growing too attached to humankind, mephistopheles revokes zehra's ability to travel freely between earth and hell. he is a worried parent who fears that she has spent too much time observing her "clients," growing increasingly empathetic as she watches them struggle after selling their futures. zehra would beg to differ ⸺ she has simply been bored. though it’s true that she's grown to enjoy spending time on earth, she finds humans and their endless concerns rather dull and unremarkable.

ever since kahlogate, zehra can only pop up on earth if someone summons her at the crossroads ⸺ or she hitches a ride with another demon which is just embarrassing, really. in a desperate bid to appease her father and also reclaim her autonomy, she buries her growing disillusionment and keeps herself occupied, using her skills to entertain herself. alas her heart isn't in it and her charm feels more like a half-baked act ⸺ she knows the routine, but the magic is gone. once a spirited agent of temptation, now a jaded trickster, phoning it in. it takes over fifty years for mephistopheles to loosen the tight leash on zehra's independence. 

once a mephistophelim reaches half a millennium in age, they're permitted to shed their original form and take on a vessel of their choosing. the mephistophelim are known for their commitment to the skin they choose to inhabit, rarely changing it throughout their lifespan. this transformation is considered a rite of passage, and the decision is not made lightly. in 2010, at 557 years old, zehra finds her chosen vessel; a recently departed defense attorney, born on may 29th ⸺ the date constantinople fell.

she seals her most important deal shortly after, with mephistopheles agreeing to the terms as a belated 500th birthday gift ( no souls are promised in the transaction ). allowed to roam earth until she's ready to return to hell, as long as she continues to fulfill her duties, zehra feels like she has outwitted the oldest dealmaking demon in existence, the master of "faustian bargains" himself. perhaps mephistopheles wasn't acting as a cunning trickster, but more like a parent than the king of the crossroads.

at this point, she sees the souls she collects as "paperwork", a necessary evil rather than something she genuinely enjoys. zehra goes through the motions with a sense of detached amusement, fulfilling her obligations to hell not out of passion, but because it keeps her father off her back. her role in the grand scheme of things is to be a tempter but she has little interest in putting in any more effort than she has to. as a side gig, she's been trying get her teleportation rights back.

she stumbles upon portum at a time when she is beginning to flirt with the idea of freedom, and unsettling questions start to surface in her mind. what if she could walk away from her obligations? what if she could stop playing the game? what if there's something more fulfilling than just collecting souls for hell? the idea of rebellion is appealing, but the known comforts of hell keep her tethered.   

009. FUN FACTS

tba.

010. WANTED CONNECTIONS

the enemy, of course. but an enemy for hundreds of years now, which makes them a sort of friend. cosmic opposites, one tasked with saving souls and the other with leading them astray. with both of them seeking out those on the brink of moral collapse, their paths have crossed countless times over the centuries as they each try to complete their respective tasks while constantly thwarting the other's plans. these two both challenge and intrigue each other, their connection is built on snark, power plays and moments of understanding. they'll tear each other own one minute, then have each other's back the next; they're enemies, allies and something more complicated ⸺ two agents of rival realms who'd never admit to needing one another. "you've got that vintage thing going on. good for you." y/m is someone who knew neslihan before zehra assumed control of her body. they could have been childhood friends or old college acquaintances, it's utp just how close the two had been before drifting apart. when they reconnect around 2010-2011, zehra's already the one behind the wheel and leading a double life, fulfilling her hellish obligations whilst still posing as neslihan. details tbd but i imagine zehra played along, letting y/m believe she was still the same person they had once known. at first, it was all for amusement, but over time, the bond began to feel unnervingly real. as a result, zehra chose to cut ties. fast forward ten years and y/m makes their way to portum, having been recently turned into a supernatural being.

[cmrynclare]

taylor swift, cis woman, she/her  𖠳 ᐝ ꕀ  heads up ; if you hear GIRL IS A GUN by HALSEY blaring, it’s most likely CAMRYN CLARE making their way down the shore ! they’re 31 years old and celebrate their birthday on 08/28 - i knew they were a VIRGO ! especially since they’re very VIVACIOUS and PEDANTIC. they are from SCARSDALE, NEW YORK, staying in THE COVE and are currently working as a WRITER, here at the cape. they always did remind me of glitter eyeshadow and smudged eyeliner from the night before on your pillowcase, making chai sugar cookies from scratch at three in the morning to soak up a hangover, sitting in the sand by a bonfire replaying conversations in your head until they become warped and unthreaded, never leaving the house without your lipstick on.

OOC.

hi friends ! my name is willow and i am so excited to be joining you all in this adorable lil group with my bby camryn. have this little fast ‘n loose version of her just to get a feel for things while i do my best to get my life together and organized, lol. also, consider absolutely everything and everything wanted for my lil writer baby, and consider me stoked to get to know all of you and your babies. the ims are wide open !

GENERAL STATS. 

full name: camryn clare bewlay.

gender & pronouns: cis woman, she/her/hers.

age: thirty-one.

birthday: august 28.

zodiac: virgo.

occupation: author / writer for media outlet that i have yet to come up with the name of / former trust fund baby.

residence: cape may, new jersey.

hometown: scarsdale, new york.

sexuality: pansexual.

relationship status: single.  

top songs on spotify: serotonin by girl in red, bloody valentine by mgk, looking too closely by fink, girl is a gun by halsey, jumpman by drake & future.

character likenesses: nina riva ( malibu rising ) , leslie shay ( chicago fire ) , jane sloan ( the bold type )

ABOUT.

mentions of : neglect, cheating

grew up with a younger sibling ( i envision a sister but i’m keeping my mind ~open~ ) and her parents in scarsdale, new york, an affluent community a short train ride from manhattan. her grandfather was something of a business powerhouse, having graduated from harvard with a degree in computer engineering where he’d go on to be the president of a multitude of companies in their financial divisions. her father followed in his footsteps, running start ups and helping companies merge into bigger ones once they were on the brink of financial collapse for 8 and 9 figures. she grew up very comfortably, despite her father prioritizing business and her mother prioritizing alcohol amidst her trophy wife lifestyle. astronomical mommy issues. camryn and co. essentially raised themselves and grew up being very independent and not in the best of ways — cam had quite the taste for trouble in the back of her molars and was always talking her way out of something. wore the good girl mask, was definitely the bad girl. 

floated in the socialite circle, always in shit. think serena vanderwoosen shdfkhsdf

the expectation was to Be Great, so cam went to mit and majored in biomedical engineering

by age 25, she was engaged to a very wealthy & successful criminal defense attorney, working with a group to develop artificial internal organs / replacements for body parts. they were married in an elaborate wedding, adopted a dog together just to prove to themselves that they’d be good parents; her husband was out winning high profile cases and she was receiving recognition for her contribution in groundbreaking programs that helped the advancement of medicine. pretending to be a decent sister by taking care of her younger sibling and acting like she'd been Through More and was a Trustable Mentor despite there being Tension there. on top of the world, living The Dream

aaaand seemingly overnight, she’d woken up and her life had completely flipped on its head. her husband was now the criminal, having embezzled money from his high profile firm and involved with another woman, her dirty laundry suddenly the morning reading of all their friends-that-could-hardly-be-considered-such and strangers and patronizing family members. it was humiliating beyond all belief, seemingly stirring camryn from whatever sort of daydream she’d been living in and how her complacence had been confused with happiness. the truth was, she had reached a point in her life where she utterly hated the facade that played too enormous of a role ; she came to the conclusion she was, slowly but surely, devolving into her mother as she began drinking to numb her feelings throughout the day & engaging in a wildly lackluster affair to see if she was capable of feeling something (spoiler alert: didn't work out)

fucked right outta the city and her doctor job and holed up in the rhode island vacation home she got in the divorce. wrote close to 100 letters to herself and all the people that had a hand in fucking up her life that she’d never send, she danced on bar tops and stopped talking to her family, she realized just how inconsequentially small she was, how liberating it could be to be so small that the universe and her demons began overlooking her. she came to terms with herself, like she was more than just a copied and pasted sentiment someone had had about her once. she ditched her last name and legally became camryn clare.

began writing for The Hell of it; her networking led to career grinding in a new light, where she was able to start writing for a media outlet ( think buzzfeed meets the times idk ) and really loved it, had always found a solace in words and telling stories and thoroughly enjoyed the work they were letting her do — she got to start a weekly advice column in addition to the other stories she worked on, moving up through the company. mind you ! bestie writes under a pen name, and she just published her first novel under said pen name. could not be happier

eventually found her way to new jersey and ended up settling down for a lil bit since sis could ~ technically ~ work remotely, will occasionally take trips back to nyc for important meetings and things 

is kind of a Hot Mess Express™

definitely a workaholic / does not know how to find a healthy balance in anything, really

is the girl you call if you want someone to sit with you on your couch and get wine drunk while you accidentally burn the cookies in the oven because you are too consumed in bitching about whatever great injustice life has served up lately. is not the girl you call if you want someone to tell you everything you want to hear — if she thinks hurting your feelings will help you in the long run (even if it’s out of the best of intentions) then get ur tissues ready

feelings?? what are those??? she loves casual things but when it comes to real relationships i genuinely don’t think she knows how to navigate them and very Powerful Serious Feelings confuse / scare her

is very aesthetically and organizationally driven?? like she’s the queen of bullet journaling and having everything tick all the boxes of a sought out vibe. her shit is in Order (or at least, it is on paper)

is pretty much down for whatever, whenever

CURRENT CONNECTIONS.

tbd.

DESIRED CONNECTIONS.

younger sibling — would def need to talk more about this through dms, i'm envisioning someone femme / nb for this but i'm open. fcs with the right vibe are hunter schafer, madelyn cline, kathryn newton, lili reinhart, grace van dien.

ex husband —  love angst, so let’s get messy! i headcanon him to be at minimum four years older than camryn, just for logistic’s sake

in my 'rebounding post divorce' affair era — camryn would have found this person in the midst of her divorce proceedings, choosing to pour her time and energy into this person when she wasn’t pouring liquor with a heavy hand. it never went far — i see it lasting maybe 4-6 months? — as camryn didn’t really “feel” anything for this person, and they would have fallen out of touch very shortly after ending things. again, potential for angst. maybe your muse had deeper feelings for her? maybe they reconnect and camryn's like ...oh. sky's the limit!

someone that camryn calls late at night mostly because she doesn’t want to be alone, someone that allows camryn to come sit on their couch and vent judgment-free (or vice versa), friends that are beginning to have feelings that are not so Friendly, people that bring out the Old Camryn & are up for doing not so civil shit, fellow regulars at X Y or Z, friends with benefits, someone in need of adventure that cam’s happy to indulge, one to three characters that become something like “foster” siblings for camryn due to their closeness, neighbors, will they won’t they?, someone that camryn knows from her bad bitch days in new york

angsty shit vibes — someone that camryn has managed to push away for reasons tbd, hookup that did not land in a good place, a plot based off of sofia by clairo, a plot based off of wrong by ally hills, “bad for me but i keep coming back around” connection (could be platonic or romantic), a plot based off come back be here by taylor swift except they actually came back and it’s like wtf do we do now, someone that camryn doesn’t get along with for reasons tbd, underlying spite or frustration between or muses

[masterofd1saster]

CJ current events - May 2023

Amid a rise in anti-semitic hate crime, some Jewish women - including Orthodox, are learning self defense and packing heat. Good essay by Adam Popescu.

***

You think someone else is misogynist?

A New York Democrat blamed "institutional misogyny" as she resigned from her government leadership position in the wake of accusations a staffer tried to solicit someone he thought was an underaged girl. 

Westchester County Board of Legislators Chair Catherine Borgia stepped down on Friday under pressure from colleagues who said she failed to act when she was told in December that the staffer was caught on video by a vigilante group that tricked him into thinking he was meeting a 14-year-old. ***

Former legislative aide Anand Singh, 33, was fired on April 13 after video published by vigilante group OBL Global showed him allegedly trying to meet up with someone he thought was an underaged girl in New Jersey. 

The 31-minute video shows a man, reportedly Singh, messaging with someone he thought was a 14-year-old female, but was actually an OBL Global "decoy." The messages become more sexual in nature, the video shows, with Singh allegedly saying he could "def teach" her "a thing or two," speculating that she weighs less than 100 pounds, and asking if she was on birth control.*** https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ny-democrat-resigns-aide-allegedly-caught-trying-solicit-underaged-girl

Nobody is more misogynist than a politician who shelters a pervert who preys on teen girls.

***

Why not send billions to billionaires?

A far-left nonprofit accused of siding with criminals for its work to deplete the justice system while working inside local prosecution offices is nearly entirely funded by federal government agencies, including Department of Justice. 

The Vera Institute of Justice – a Soros-linked nonprofit – has received $290 million from the federal government over the last 12 months alone for its work in immigration – to help illegal immigrants avoid deportation – and the criminal justice system. If its current contracts are extended for the next four years, disbursements could reach over $1 billion. 

"We work to transform the immigration system because many of the problems that we see in the criminal legal system are just the same in the immigration system. And by transform, what I mean is to shrink both of those systems," Vera Justice's president, Nick Turner, said.

Vera funds radical-left agendas in prosecution and law enforcement offices around the country. Fox News Digital found they advocate to defund the police, they partner with district attorney offices to artificially manipulate "racial disparities" in prosecution decisions for criminals and openly state their mission is to demolish what they deem to be a "racist" system. *** https://www.foxnews.com/media/doj-federal-agencies-pour-hundreds-millions-soros-linked-group-accused-trying-nullify-law

***

What would make Colorado perfect? I know: more adults exposing themselves to kids!

A majority of Colorado Democrats in the state House voted against a measure that would enhance criminal penalties for indecent exposure in view of a minor, and one state lawmaker claimed the bill could be used to "ban" drag shows and harm transgender people.

Outlining her frustrations with the measure from the House floor Saturday, state Rep. Leslie Herod, a Democrat who has represented a Denver-area district in the state House since 2017, said the proposed law uses language like other measures around the nation meant to "target" transgender people.

"These types of laws have been used to ban drag shows, to target individuals who use the restroom — the sex they identify with, a public restroom — to charge them with felony charges," Herod claimed. "I'm very concerned about the attacks against the transgender community that are happening across the country."

Introduced by Democrats, HB23-1135 would take criminal penalties for indecent exposure from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 6 felony if committed in view of a person who is under 18. The measure passed with unanimous Republican support despite 27 of the 46 Democratic representatives voting against the bill.*** https://www.foxnews.com/politics/colorado-dems-vote-against-harsh-penalties-indecent-exposure-kids-because-could-ban-drag-shows

***

Cavalier attitude toward killing two people.

Former Bradley student Stephanie Melgoza was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Thursday as the result of striking and killing two pedestrians while driving drunk in East Peoria [Illinois] in April 2022.

Melgoza faced between six to 28 years in prison after pleading guilty without a plea deal to two charges of aggravated DUI and two charges of reckless driving. Three smaller charges were dropped during her plea. Each count of aggravated DUI carried a sentence range between three and 14 years.*** https://www.bradleyscout.com/news/melgoza-sentenced-to-14-years-after-fatal-dui

Just before 20:00 she starts playing dumb while the arresting officer's body cam is recording.

***

Conflict of interest? What's that?

Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan resigned Tuesday morning following reports that she had been consulting for a private cannabis company at the same time as her office was auditing the state's marijuana program.

Fagan, a Democrat, will leave office after May 8. She said that while she is "confident" that an ethics investigation will show that she followed the law, her work for the company has become a "distraction."

“While I am confident that the ethics investigation will show that I followed the state’s legal and ethical guidelines in trying to make ends meet for my family, it is clear that my actions have become a distraction from the important and critical work of the Secretary of State’s office,” Fagan said in a statement. “Protecting our state’s democracy and ensuring faith in our elected leaders — these are the reasons I ran for this office. They are also the reasons I will be submitting my resignation today.”

Fagan admitted last week to accepting a role at the cannabis firm Veriede Holding, an affiliate of La Mota, bringing in $10,000 a month in additional income. Her contract indicated that Fagan would receive a $30,000 bonus if the firm obtained a business license in a state other than Oregon or New Mexico, according to The Oregonian.

The private company also donated around $250,000 to her campaign, along with contributions to other top Democrats, including Gov. Tina Kotek.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/democratic-secretary-of-state-resigns-after-admitting-to-secret-deal-with-marijuana-industry

***

Nice Institute for Justice win

IJ just put up two big wins for free speech and economic liberty—victories for both our clients and the U.S. Constitution. The case involves a group of kindly ladies from Northern California and their nonprofit, Full Circle of Living and Dying. Full Circle helps the dying and their loved ones through their final days. It also helps families plan home funerals without a licensed funeral director, just as people the world over have traditionally done for centuries. 

That, as you’ve likely already guessed, was a major no-no according to the state funeral board. Even though home funerals are legal in all 50 states and Full Circle’s services were limited to providing moral support, advice, and occasional assistance in conducting home funerals, the board argued Full Circle was an unlicensed “funeral establishment” and in late 2019 ordered the women who operate Full Circle to shut down.

IJ filed suit to challenge that order, and earlier this year we scored two major first-round victories. The court ruled both that the First Amendment forbids California from silencing Full Circle’s guides and that California could not require Full Circle, a nonprofit with an annual budget of $20,000, to build a traditional full-service funeral home to help people who have no interest in traditional funerals. And though Full Circle’s case isn’t over yet—the court will hold a trial later this year on whether California can require Full Circle’s guides to obtain funeral director licenses—the importance of these rulings cannot be overstated.*** https://ij.org/ll/ij-win-puts-two-more-nails-in-the-coffin-of-californias-funeral-monopoly/

***

Feds pick a fight with a Catholic hospital that serves the poor.

Saint Francis Hospital system is a Catholic hospital that serves everyone regardless of faith in Oklahoma. Surprise! St Francis has a chapel. Like every other Roman Catholic chapel or church, it keeps a candle burning next to the tabernacle. It's part of the Faith.

Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services demands that St Francis extinguish the candle for safety reasons.

The candle is in a double glass receptacle with a brass top. I haven't heard of such a candle starting a fire in a Roman Catholic church.

The CMS letter to St Francis is linked. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has requested CMS to grant a waiver.

If CMS de-accredits St Francis, the hospital will suffer such crippling financial losses that it will go bankrupt and close. It will no longer be able to serve the people of Oklahoma.

Saint Francis was a wonderfully humble holy man who lived in poverty. St. Thomas Becket defended freedom of religion against King Henry II and the elites of English society. Elites murdered him in a church and scattered his brains on the floor.

***

BabylonBee says

***

Too bad we don't have a law titled ‘‘Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012’’ Pub.L. 112–105, 126 Stat. 291. Oh, wait....

Multiple lawmakers sold their shares in First Republic Bank in the weeks before the firm collapsed and was sold to JPMorgan Chase by financial regulators.

First Republic Bank imploded on Monday, weeks after Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank similarly collapsed, as account holders with balances above the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation threshold rushed to withdraw their funds. Periodic transaction disclosure forms reveal that multiple lawmakers jettisoned their shares in First Republic Bank or acquired shares in JPMorgan Chase over the past two months, a phenomenon which follows accusations that some lawmakers routinely buy stocks at opportune times and cut losses by selling shares.

The lawmakers who sold shares of First Republic Bank indeed avoided heavy losses: the firm’s stock fell from $121.54 at the beginning of the year to $3.51 at the time of the collapse.

Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in First Republic Bank shares on March 16 and bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in JPMorgan Chase shares on March 22. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) purchased between $1,001 and $15,000 shares of First Republic Bank shares on March 9 but likewise sold the same indeterminate amount of the assets on March 15, as well as purchased between $1,001 and $15,000 in JPMorgan Chase stock on both March 3 and March 14. His disclosure form said the shares belonged to his wife and dependent child.

Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) meanwhile sold between $1,000 and $15,000 in First Republic Bank shares on March 16, and the wife of Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in First Republic Bank stock on March 20. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) also sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in First Republic Bank shares on March 15.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) previously bought between $1,001 and $15,000 of stock in New York Community Bancorp, the company which would acquire Signature Bank, on March 17.*** https://www.dailywire.com/news/lawmakers-dumped-their-shares-in-first-republic-bank-before-the-company-collapsed

***

Nellie Bowels notes

*** → Et tu, Sotomayor? Meanwhile, Sonia Sotomayor has been paid more than $3 million by Penguin Random House—and didn’t recuse herself from several cases involving the publisher.***

→ Summer is coming: Something happened on a New York City subway car that caused three men to restrain a homeless man and subway dancer, Jordan Neely. One of those men was a Marine, and he held Neely in a chokehold until Neely passed out and later died. There’s a video of it all. It’s been ruled a homicide. Jordan Neely had 42 prior arrests, including four for assault, but we have to wait to learn what actually happened in that car. That’s not stopping AOC, who as usual was a model of restraint: “Jordan Neely was murdered. But bc Jordan was houseless and crying for food in a time when the city is raising rents and stripping services to militarize itself while many in power demonize the poor, the murderer gets protected w/ passive headlines + no charges. It’s disgusting.” (NYC Mayor Eric Adams called AOC’s comments not “very responsible.”) Protesters are already gathering in the subway. I’m too old for another 2020. ***

→ Oregon Democrats want to decriminalize homeless encampments: Oregon is filled with tent cities, and now the state’s Democrats want to make it officially legal. This one’s a little like California legalizing weed, in that it was already completely legal. But now, Oregon lawmakers want to fine you if you ask a homeless encampment to form elsewhere. Yes: you will pay a $1,000 fine if you so much as ask for someone to clear off the sidewalk. “Excuse me, but your pitbull is gnawing my son’s—” That’ll be ten Benjamins, NIMBY!

I used to walk whole blocks of San Francisco where sidewalks were taken over by encampments, not an inch of space free, which was fine because every morning I just hopped off the curb and into the street for a couple blocks. So, I hope no one plans on using a wheelchair in any Oregon city because that would be another grand every time they require a tent to move. The disabled really need to think about not being disabled! Kind of rude to want cities to have sidewalks.

Parks? Did someone mention public parks? Okay, now you’re basically a Nazi. We’re gonna need a bigger fine. 

→ AOC and Matt Gaetz collab: The two hotheaded congresspeople—one a Democratic Socialist from New York, the other a paleoconservative from Florida—have come together to try and ban members of Congress and their spouses from owning and trading individual stocks. It’s called the Bipartisan Restoring Faith in Government Act. ***

→ I thought banning gas stoves was a conspiracy theory? Now, hold on. I was told just in January of this year that the gas stove ban was a fake right-wing culture war thing. 

NYT: “No One Is Coming for Your Gas Stove Anytime Soon” 

Time: “How Gas Stoves Became the Latest Right-Wing Cause in the Culture Wars”

Salon: “Rumors of a gas stove ban ignite a right-wing culture war”

MSNBC: “No, the woke mob is not coming for your gas stove.”

AP News: “FACT FOCUS: Biden administration isn’t banning gas stoves”

The Washington Post: ​​“GOP thrusts gas stoves, Biden’s green agenda into the culture wars”

Which is why it’s so weird because just this week, New York state lawmakers banned gas stoves from all new construction. So it definitely does seem like Dems are coming for gas stoves, in that they just banned them in one of America’s most populous states. 

There’s usually a slightly longer lag between when the mainstream press tells us something is a crazy lie and when the press says okay, fine, it’s not a lie, it’s actually true, and also it’s a good thing—so this is surprising. I’ll be over here huffing carbon oxides and vapors...

***

Why was he out of jail?

Court records show [Zion Teasley] was charged in 2020 with 13 felonies — including five kidnapping charges. 

They were dismissed in a plea deal a year later in which he admitted three felonies: armed robbery with a deadly weapon, robbery and disorderly conduct. He was released from prison in November 2022 and was on probation at the time of Heike’s slaying.

He is now "charged with the brutal murder of hiker Lauren Heike — as it emerged she’d been chased and then stabbed 15 times in the back and chest."

You still a firearm in someone's face and take his money, you've changed his life. You've come awfully close to ending it. You should be out killing people after only two years.

***

Now's the time to invest in platinum

COOK COUNTY, Ill. - A Cook County man was arrested after police discovered over 600 catalytic converters at his residence.

Cook County Sheriff's police responded to a burglary alarm Sunday at a home in the 6000 block of 128th Place in unincorporated Worth Township.

Officers knocked on the door but no one responded, so they walked around the property to make sure there wasn't a burglary in progress. That's when officers saw hundreds of catalytic converters in a metal crate with others stacked along the fence.

Officers returned to the home Tuesday and executed a search warrant at the residence belonging to 40-year-old Ramsy Sandoka.*** https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/over-600-catalytic-converters-recovered-in-cook-county-bust

***

Nellie Bowles writes

→ Speaking of ways I don’t want to die: The movement to actually enforce traffic laws is gaining steam. Here’s The Washington Post appearing to agree that terrible drivers with tons of tickets shouldn’t be on the road. Meanwhile, of course, Congress has been calling any traffic law enforcement racism.***

→ Wanting safe subways is “bourgeois”: We have an Englishman staying with us right now, and it’s funny talking to someone from a country where liberals want, fight for, and actually expect clean, safe subways and clean, safe parks. In England and much of Europe, these aren’t controversial goals. Public transit is a point of pride, a brilliant use of public funds. Here in the US of A, for some godforsaken reason, the good liberals who run cities have decided that wanting safe subways and clean, fentanyl-free parks is right-wing and lame. Which leads us to Emma Vigeland, an influential leftist media personality, co-host of The Majority Report, a perfect representative of the movement, so here’s her full quote this week:

“I was hit, at one point, sitting on the subway by a man who was having a mental health episode. . . hit me in the face and body and it was jarring, right?” Vigeland says. “Every one of us who’s taken public transit has had this kind of situation happen. . . . And I was scared, I was hit. But my fear is not the primary object of what we should be focusing on right now; it’s the fact that this person is in pain. The politics of dehumanization privileges the bourgeois concern of people’s immediate discomfort in this narrow, narrow instance.”

Like me, Emma went to fancy private schools before she became a socialist and I became. . .  whatever this is. Anyway, I love her private school-meets-American-socialism dig at the people who want safe subways: She calls it “bridge-and-tunneler anti-homeless hysteria.” Emma, I agree there are some bridge-and-tunnel vibes going on in the subway conversation. Like ugh, all these women who don’t want to be punched in the face, wandering around with ugly purses. It’s jarring! *** https://www.thefp.com/p/tgif-the-greatest-show-on-earth

***

I usually disapprove of priest killing, but I'm willing to consider exceptions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, May 12, 2023

Jury Convicts Priest of Sex Trafficking Three Victims in Northern Ohio

A federal jury in Northern District of Ohio convicted Michael J. Zacharias, a priest, of five counts of sex trafficking. The charges related to three victims, two of whom Zacharias trafficked when they were minors and as adults. The evidence presented to the jury detailed how Zacharias paid the victims to engage in sex acts with him using the victims’ fear of serious harm to compel their compliance.

Specifically, the jury heard evidence of how Zacharias first met the victims when they were young boys, and he was a Seminarian at St. Catherine’s Catholic Parish school in Toledo, Ohio, and how Zacharias began grooming the boys for commercial sex acts, using his position as a priest and teacher to ingratiate himself with the boys and their families as a trusted friend, mentor and spiritual counselor. The defendant overcame the victims’ resistance to his eventual commercial sex overtures by gradually sexualizing conversations and conduct with them. At the same time, the victims were developing serious opiate addictions, using pain medication and, later, heroin. Zacharias waited to propose commercial sex until he knew the victims were so heavily involved in drug abuse that it was impacting their daily lives, physical and mental well-being and ability to maintain a stable school or work life.   

The victims’ testimony explained how, in varying degrees, they submitted to Zacharias’ commercial sex solicitations because they feared the psychological harm of losing Zacharias as a father figure and friend, losing their connection to the Church and God, and suffering the painful symptoms of opioid withdrawal that could be alleviated with the money provided by Zacharias to purchase drugs. One victim in particular – the older brother of another victim – also explained how he feared Zacharias would sexually abuse his minor brother and others if he did not continue to comply with the defendant’s commercial sex solicitations.***

Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. Zacharias faces a fifteen-year mandatory minimum and lifetime maximum sentence. *** https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/jury-convicts-priest-sex-trafficking-three-victims-northern-ohio

***

Abe Fortas resigned from the Supreme Court this day, 15 May, in 1969.

Fortas had been a fixer for Lyndon Johnson and continued providing legal work to him while a member of the Court. The thing that brought him down was taking money from Millionaire industrialist Louis E. Wolfson and providing legal services to him while Fortas was a justice. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1977/01/23/fortas-tie-to-wolfson-is-detailed/0b15ab1b-ca34-4a99-be65-51967ea123a6/

***

Excellent column by Kat Rosenfield

During the 2017 peak of the #MeToo movement, the conversation about sexual harassment came down to two related but ultimately separate questions. On the one hand, there was the question of what men shouldn’t do; on the other, there was the question of what women could be expected to tolerate.

This was where some women, usually but not always older, rolled their eyes. Did an awkward joke, a bad date, or — as one memorable entry in the infamous Shitty Media Men list alleged — a “weird lunch” really constitute a form of harassment, let alone a cancellable offence? But other women, usually but not always younger, clucked their tongues: it was only because women kept putting up with such behaviour that men kept thinking they could get away with it.***

This question has been on my mind this week, for the most tragic of reasons. On 1st May, a 30-year-old man named Jordan Neely was choked to death on a crowded New York City subway train by a 24-year-old Marine named Daniel Penny. Neely, who was homeless and mentally ill, was reportedly screaming and confronting passengers; he was killed after Penny put him in a chokehold, while two other passengers held him down. Penny, in a statement released through his lawyers, said he did not intend to kill Neely.

This incident was preventable. Long before his death, Neely was known to New York City authorities as a person who could not manage independent living, and who had been spiralling in recent years, desperately in need of help. For him to die on the dirty floor of a subway car, screaming and defecating on himself while three strangers held him by the arms, legs, and neck, he had to be first failed at every turn by a system that was supposed to shelter and protect him — not just from doing harm, but from being harmed by others when his mental illness manifested in frightening ways.***

To what extent this campaign could succeed is not clear. There has always been a baseline level of criminality and antisocial behaviour on the subway; sexual harassment and assault is so ubiquitous that brushing up against it is all but inevitable. I was groped, flashed, or masturbated at probably two dozen times during the seven years I spent living in New York. When a friend moved to NYC last year, I told her that she couldn’t truly call herself a New Yorker until she exited a crowded subway car to discover that someone had ejaculated on her coat. (I was only partly kidding.) It’s not that anyone thinks these things are okay; it’s more that they’re expected, a sad fact of life in a city of 8.5 million people, one of those things you cannot change and hence have to find a way to put up with. You look away, you shrug it off, you don’t let it ruin your day because if you did, it would ruin all of your days.***

But if it was difficult to know exactly where a tolerance for breaches of decorum became apologia for criminal harassment, it was even harder to identify, after Jordan Neely’s death, where the tacit agreement to tolerate becomes a duty to intervene. How do we know when to stand by, when to step in, when to look away, when to be afraid?

Here, one might have expected that many of the same voices who argued so vehemently against the notion of resilience in the midst of MeToo — the ones who believed that the solution to harassment lay not in teaching women to be assertive, but in teaching men not to abuse — would now demand zero tolerance for male aggression on public transit. If you argue that a woman can be traumatised by bawdy humour in the office or awkward come-ons in a bar, surely you would agree that she’s entitled to be fearful when trapped underground on a metal tube with an erratically-behaving stranger twice her size.*** The truth is, eyewitnesses did report that Neely was behaving in a threatening way, and other people on the train were calling 911 well before his confrontation with Penny, suggesting that whatever was happening, it was a cut above the ordinary subway madness that New Yorkers are usually so good at ignoring. But it is also true that the tragic conclusion of this incident seems, at least in part, like the result of a cultivated fragility — the kind that results when you encourage people to view every uncomfortable situation as a trauma in the making, every unpleasant interaction as a precursor to a far worse harm, every upset as an offence for which there must be consequences. That mindset, so ubiquitous in the wake of MeToo, so popular among progressives in general, says that no breach of decorum or moment of discomfort is too insignificant to ignore. It must be registered. It must be punished. It’s nothing more or less than a call for constant vigilance. The thing about that: when you demand vigilance, you get vigilantes.

***

Weed study from Denmark.

Hjorthøj, C., Compton, W., Starzer, M., Nordholm, D., Einstein, E., Erlangsen, A., Nordentoft, M, Volkow, N.D., and Han, B. (2023). Association between cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia stronger in young males than in females. Psychological Medicine, 1-7. found

Young males might be particularly susceptible to the effects of cannabis on schizophrenia. At a population level, assuming causality, one-fifth of cases of schizophrenia among young males might be prevented by averting CUD. Results highlight the importance of early detection and treatment of CUD and policy decisions regarding cannabis use and access, particularly for 16–25-year-olds.*** https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/association-between-cannabis-use-disorder-and-schizophrenia-stronger-in-young-males-than-in-females/E1F8F0E09C6541CB8529A326C3641A68

***

Doctors have access to really cool drugs

Denver cardiologist Stephen Matthews was arrested outside a Denver courtroom Monday morning and prosecutors say he is being charged in nine new criminal cases, bringing the total number of his alleged victims to 10.

The 35-year-old had previously been charged in just one case. Police handcuffed Matthews and took him directly to the Denver Jail.***

Matthews said he had "consensual sex" with a woman he met on the Hinge dating app. But the woman said after drinking with Matthews, she had no recollection of having sex with him and did not consent to engaging in sex. She said she is convinced she was drugged and pressed charges with Denver police. In follow-up reporting, CBS News Colorado found several other women recounting similar encounters with Matthews.

Monday morning, he was scheduled for a preliminary hearing in that initial case from January. But before any proceedings began, as Matthews was outside the courtroom talking to his family Denver police showed up, handcuffed Matthews and led him away to the Denver City Jail.***

***

Philly capable of change?

*** And yesterday's election [in Philly] was a bit of a stunning upset as former City Councilwoman Cherelle Parker won. She will most likely become Philadelphia's first black female mayor.

In the era of identity politics, Parker's victory is unquestionably historic. It also, once again, debunks many of the left-wing claims about "white supremacy" and anti-black racism being systemic in the city. But perhaps even more shocking was the political platform of Parker's campaign. In a city plagued with violent crime, she ran as a candidate who would be tough on crime, hire more police officers to patrol the streets, and support stop and frisk.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/philly-essentially-elected-its-first-black-female-mayor-last-night-and-she-supports-stop-and-frisk

I have no problem, and the Court has no problem, with stop & frisk when it's based on reasonable suspicion that the suspect is armed & dangerous & committing a crime.  I do have a problem when it's based on reasonable suspicion that the suspect is a minority.  

Indeed, the Terry majority noted

The wholesale harassment by certain elements of the police community, of which minority groups, particularly Negroes, frequently complain, will not be stopped by the exclusion of any evidence from any criminal trial.

***

***

Conflict of interest? What's that?

Earlier this month, Shemia Fagan resigned as Oregon's secretary of state following the public release of her ties to an embattled cannabis company she was auditing.

Gov. Tina Kotek (D-OR) reportedly knew of Fagan's activities eight days before the controversy hit the press.

Kotek and Fagan met on April 19 for a meeting to “discuss the legislative session and other topics unrelated to cannabis,” Kotek’s spokesperson told the Oregonian.

During that conversation, Fagan “briefly mentioned” she had bowed out from the audit that was still in process “due to a consulting contract,” spokeswoman Elisabeth Shepard said in an email to the Oregonian. Kotek claimed she was unaware of the details until the story broke in the news.

On March 29, the Willamette Week broke the story of Fagan’s connection to La Mota, the second-largest cannabis dispensary chain in Oregon. The investigation disclosed the company gave over more than $200,000 to the state’s top Democrats, including $45,000 to Fagan.

In the following days, the publication received another tip about Fagan, setting the controversy into full swing. In late April, it was revealed that Fagan signed a contract with Veriede Holding LLC, whose principals are Rosa Cazares and Aaron Mitchell, the owners of La Mota.

Records reported by the Oregonian in May show that shortly after Fagan took office, the secretary of state supposedly shared the audit proposal with La Mota cannabis chain co-owner Cazares prior to its publication.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/crime/kotek-aware-fagan-cannabis-contract-before-audit-went-public

***

Spur trust? Give me a break.

Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill Thursday that puts guardrails on how law enforcement use deceptive tactics when questioning kids, the culmination of a two-year legislative push and ending fears that the governor may veto the proposal.

The new law does not prohibit law enforcement from lying to kids during interrogations. But it does generally mean that any information — like confessions — gained that way can’t be used by prosecutors during subsequent trials. Supporters said the bill was a step toward building trust between the criminal justice system and the communities it impacts, while cutting down on the potential for false convictions of children.

The law also requires law enforcement to record juveniles interrogations. Rep. Jennifer Bacon, a Denver Democrat who co-sponsored the bill, said Thursday it represented an opportunity “to reset and build community-driven pathways to our collective safety.”*** https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/new-law-aims-to-spur-trust-between-colorado-police-and-kids/ar-AA1bp1qq

Maybe if politicians didn't vilify the police at every opportunity, the community might have more trust in police. [Not that police couldn't help themselves a little.]

What happen is, for example, Bob & Bill commit a crime. Bob is reluctant to talk until the police falsely tell him that Bill has spilled his guts, blaming Bob. Bob that spills his guts, incriminating both himself & Bill. Police then go to Bill and let him know that he can help himself out by confessing because Bob blamed him.

Too, video recording interrogations is not going to benefit the defendant in all cases. In many cases, juries will be able to see the police may have been blunt, but they didn't coerce any confession.

***

Connecticut says you can't discriminate against rapists.

Connecticut has amended its antidiscrimination statute.  The bill analysis says

§§ 2-6 — SEXUAL ORIENTATION Under current antidiscrimination law, “sexual orientation” generally means having a preference for heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality or having a history of or being identified with this preference. However, its definition expressly excludes any behavior that is a sex offense crime. 

The bill redefines “sexual orientation” to means a person’s identity in relation to the gender or genders to which they are romantically, emotionally, or sexually attracted, including any identity that a person may have previously expressed or is perceived by another person to hold. This new definition specifically applies to antidiscrimination laws subject to enforcement by CHRO, as well as laws prohibiting nondiscrimination in awarding agency, municipal public works and quasi-public agency project contracts.

By removing the exclusion of sex offenses, Connecticut made it illegal to discriminate against flashers, child molesters, and rapists.  The bill passed 132 - 17.  

***

b/c catching criminals is hard and sometimes dangerous

A Shelby County, Tennessee man's surveillance camera alerted him to thieves in the driveway around 0200 on Sat.  He walked out the front door, and they started shooting at him.  He fired four or five times at them.  video

Police arrived after the shooting and arrested him for reckless endangerment because "the man told them that he couldn’t clearly see what he was targeting and admitted to firing shots with his eyes closed due to being scared and shooting at the suspects as they fled."

The video looks like his shots were aimed at the people shooting at him.  The video also shows the criminals shooting at him after he stopped shooting. https://www.foxnews.com/us/tennessee-man-charged-felony-reckless-endangerment-returning-fire-armed-auto-thieves

***

If there's no effective law enforcement, why not?

Maryland police said the guardian of four teens arrested for auto theft last week arrived to pick them up in a stolen vehicle.

The Charles County Police Department said officers patrolling in Waldorf, Maryland, at about 1 p.m. on May 16 saw two Hyundai vehicles in front of a business. A computer check revealed they were reported stolen.

When the officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the drivers of the two vehicles sped off.***

From the two vehicles, police arrested 18-year-old Deshaun Deamonte Whitaker and 21-year-old Vincent Lee Alston, both of Washington, D.C., who were both charged with theft, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and rogue and vagabond.

Whitaker was released on $2,000 bond and Alston was held without bond in the Charles County Detention Center.

Four juveniles were also arrested and charged with theft and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.***

Police said a female guardian was set to pick up the four juveniles, but the guardian and two other females arrived in what appeared to be another stolen vehicle, which left after the three women were dropped off at the police station.

Officers located the vehicle on a nearby street, which reportedly had a broken back window and steering column damage. When the officer ordered everyone out of the vehicle, the driver fled, nearly hitting one of the officers.***

Anthony Matthew Stewart, 19, of Washington, D.C., was driving the vehicle and arrested after a brief chase on foot. He was charged with first- and second-degree assault, unauthorized use of a vehicle and providing a false name to police. Stewart also reportedly had active warrants for his arrest.

Also in the vehicle were three juveniles who were apprehended. One of the juveniles, a 16-year-old boy, had active arrest warrants, and a 13-year-old girl was reported missing from another county. All three juveniles were charged with theft and unauthorized use of a vehicle.*** https://www.foxnews.com/us/maryland-guardian-arrives-stolen-vehicle-take-custody-teens-arrested-auto-theft-police-say

***

Rachel Rollins, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, says she will resign.

A DoJ Inspector General report was highly critical of her.

This report describes an investigation by the Department of Justice (Department or DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) that began with allegations concerning the presence of U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Rachael Rollins at a Democratic Party fundraiser featuring First Lady Dr. Jill Biden on July 14, 2022. Available information indicated that Rollins arrived at a private home in Andover, Massachusetts, where the fundraiser was being held, driven in a government vehicle by a subordinate employee of the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office (MA USAO). After news stories reported Rollins’s presence at the fundraiser and questioned whether Rollins violated the Hatch Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 7321–7326, a federal statute that limits the political activities of federal employees of the Executive Branch, Rollins posted a tweet suggesting that she had “approval” to be there.1

The OIG opened this investigation to determine whether Rollins complied with Department policies and procedures governing attendance or appearance at partisan political events. During the course of our investigation, the OIG received multiple additional allegations concerning Rollins, some relating to other alleged political activities and some relating to possible violations of the federal gift rules, the government’s travel regulations, misuse of position, noncompliance with recusal decisions, and noncompliance with other Department policies. The most concerning was an allegation that Rollins secretly disclosed sensitive, non-public DOJ information to the Boston Herald about a potential DOJ investigation she and her office were recused from and that she may have done so for political purposes in relation to an upcoming local election.*** https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/23-071.pdf

Ms Rollins is a leftist. Her appointed as a federal prosecutor was sharply contested.

***

Religious freedom case

A group of Jewish parents petitioned a federal court Monday to block a California law that prohibits education funding for children with disabilities from going to religious private schools, even though secular private schools are eligible.

The group of parents, which sought to use Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funding at an Orthodox Jewish school, filed a lawsuit against the state in March, arguing that a state law excluding religious schools from the program was discriminatory. On Monday, the group, which is represented by attorneys from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, petitioned a Los Angeles federal court to block the law while litigation continues.

“It’s already outrageous enough that California legislators are denying special education benefits to Jewish kids with disabilities,” Eric Rassbach, the vice president and senior counsel at the Becket Fund, said in a statement. “But even worse, they’re denying benefits specifically because these kids want to go to a Jewish school. We’re asking the court to put a stop to this discriminatory law and let these kids get the benefits and services they need.”

Rassbach said the California law was harming Jewish families, and urged the court to "block this discriminatory law, and ensure that access to essential benefits isn’t cut off from families and schools just because they are religious."*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/education/california-parents-disability-funding-jewish-school

The case is Loffman v. California Department of Education, 23-cv-1832 (C.D. Cal.). The judge is Josephine L. Staton. Defendants have not yet filed an answer.

Odd note: One of the plaintiffs is Fedora Nick. Never seen a name like that.

***

Family of Christian Glass to receive $19 million in settlement over son’s 2021 police shooting death

The state of Colorado and three local law enforcement agencies agreed to a record $19 million settlement in the death of Christian Glass, a 22-year-old who was shot and killed by police in June in Silver Plume after he crashed his car and called 911 for help.

The settlement is the largest involving police misconduct in Colorado history, surpassing the $15 million paid in 2021 to the family of Elijah McClain, who died at the hands of Aurora police officers and paramedics during a violent 2019 arrest.

Along with the financial agreement, the state of Colorado and the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office have agreed to non-financial concessions that include using Glass’s death in police training scenarios to teach the importance of de-escalation, the creation of a crisis response team in Clear Creek County and an agreement that Glass’s parents can participate in law enforcement training by speaking about the loss of their son, Noelle Phillips reports. https://www.denverpost.com/2023/05/23/christian-glass-shooting-lawsuit-settlement-police-misconduct

***

Where is this a problem?

Illinois just enacted a law the prohibits using license plate readers for

the purpose of investigating or enforcing a law that:

(1) denies or interferes with a person's right to choose or obtain reproductive health care services or any lawful health care services as defined by the Lawful Health Care Activity Act; or

(2) permits the detention or investigation of a person based on the person's immigration status.

(c) Any law enforcement agency, including an out-of-state law enforcement agency, that uses ALPR systems shall require other out-of-state law enforcement agencies to acknowledge that any shared ALPR images or data generated in this State will not be used in a manner that violates subsection

(b) by executing a written declaration before obtaining that data. If a written declaration is not executed before sharing or transfer of the data, the law enforcement agency shall not share the ALPR images or data with the out-of-state law enforcement agency.

(d) ALPR information shall be held confidentially to the fullest extent permitted by law.

It is now Illinois Vehicle Code Section 2-130. https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1577114/

***

It's not like shot someone like Alec Baldwin. Oh, uh, well....

IONIA, Mich. (AP) — A western Michigan man who pleaded no contest to shooting an 84-year-old woman campaigning against abortion rights at his home was sentenced to community service Tuesday.

Richard Harvey, 75, was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service. Judge Suzanne Hoseth Kreeger also gave him a suspended jail sentence of two months and a delayed sentence of one year on probation.

Harvey pleaded no contest last month to felonious assault, careless discharge of a firearm causing injury and reckless discharge of a firearm.

Kreeger also must pay $347.19 in restitution and cannot have any contact with the woman he shot, 84-year-old Joan Jacobson.*** https://www.9and10news.com/2023/05/24/michigan-man-gets-community-service-for-shooting-anti-abortion-campaigner/

***

Philly paid him $1.3M per murder

Shaurn Thomas was a millionaire, but prosecutors say he killed a man over a $1,200 drug debt.

Thomas was paid more than $4 million three years ago after spending 24 years behind bars for a murder conviction that was later overturned.***

“He said it’s his third homicide and he said he can’t go back to jail,” she said.*** https://www.pennlive.com/crime/2023/05/philly-man-got-4m-after-his-murder-case-was-overturned-hes-now-accused-of-murder-over-1200.html

I love these cases in which a manifestly guilty defendant is removed from prison on an alleged procedural error. The media and The Innocence Project act like the murderer was somehow exonerated. No, these convictions are overturned on procedures that were fair and transparent and unrelated to factual guilt. Sometimes you have co-defendants who have reconsidered for a decade the wisdom of their confessing and decided to recant.

First, he argues that a Philadelphia Police Department Criminalistics Laboratory report dated December 16, 1994 was not discovered until after trial. * During Appellant's trial, the Commonwealth offered for identification a series of 14 photographs of a blue Chevrolet Caprice. N.T., 12/12/94, at 41–76. Counsel for the defense objected at which time the prosecutor stated that John and William Stallworth would testify that the photographs depicted the car used by Appellant during the robbery. Id. at 42. Later during trial, however, both Stallworths testified that a different car was used in the robbery. The prosecutor never asked John or William Stallworth to identify the blue Caprice depicted in the photographs and the trial court prevented these exhibits from going to the jury. N.T., 12/15/94, at 116–117. It is alleged that counsel for Appellant's co-defendant, Shaurn, discovered the Criminalistics Report in 2011. The report was apparently authored during the trial and it demonstrated that the Caprice was not used in the robbery and murder. Appellant asserts that this report is exculpatory and was wrongly withheld from the defense*

The second newly discovered fact upon which Appellant relies is the alleged recantation by William Stallworth. Specifically, in his PCRA petition, Appellant relies upon a declaration of Shaina A. Tyler, an investigator employed by the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. In this declaration, Ms. Tyler states that she visited William Stallworth on September 29, 2011 at which time “William Stallworth told [Ms. Tyler] that his testimony at the trial of Shaurn and Mustafa Thomas was a lie, and that he made up the entire story.” Declaration of Shaina A. Tyler, 22/23/11, at 1–2. On April 11, 2017, while this case was on appeal before this Court, William Stallworth apparently was interviewed again by a member of the Philadelphia District Attorney's CRU.4 During this second interview, William stated “[h]e was not present on 11/13/1990 for the robbery and murder of Domingo Martinez” and “[h]e does not believe, but has no first[-]hand knowledge, that Shaurn Thomas was there either.” Commonwealth v. Thomas, No. 2436 EDA 2014, 2017 WL 3159329, at *4, *5 (Pa. Super. Ct. July 25, 2017).

The nice thing is when Shaurn murders people it's probably no relative or friend of anyone at Innocence Project or the DA's office.

***

The problem of non-police contacting violent people

For as long as emergency medicine has existed, being physically assaulted has been part of the job. Talking about feelings that come after an assault, though? Not so much.

That’s something that paramedics and others working in emergency medicine are trying to change, said Crystal Eastman, a paramedic instructor and “peer responder” at Denver Health. The sheer amount of violence discourages paramedics from reporting each time they’re assaulted, and the culture pushes them to act like it doesn’t affect them, she said.

Lt. Will Hargreaves, who oversees a team of about 15 paramedics at Denver Health and goes out on some calls, said on most days, an ambulance crew will have to restrain or sedate someone who’s being combative. Often, it’s because the person they need to treat doesn’t want them there or is worried about getting in trouble for their drug use, he said. Other times, people are confused because of their medical condition, especially if they were just revived from an overdose, Meg Wingerter reports. https://www.denverpost.com/2023/05/29/paramedics-colorado-denver-health-violence-mental-health

Who signs up to be punched or stabbed by a junkie?

***

Trying a local solution

Vehicle thefts in Westminster alone have exploded from 859 in 2020 to 1,259 last year.

But the misery around auto-related crimes goes further than just theft and this city of 115,000 is determined to do something. Last week, Westminster passed on first reading four ordinances that would address street racing, joy-riding, car parts theft and quicker restitution for victims.

In the big picture, the measures would bring the prosecution for several auto-related crimes in-house — to municipal court — sparing victims a trip to Brighton in Adams County or Golden in Jefferson County, depending on what side of the county line the offense occurred, John Aguilar reports. https://www.denverpost.com/2023/05/29/westminster-auto-theft-catalytic-street-racing-joyride

Colorado's municipal courts can impose no more than 364 days of incarceration. C.R.S. § 13-10-113 (2023). If someone stole your car or its cats, you'd probably be happier if he served 90 days in jail than none at all due to a lazy or woke DA.

***

Breaks my freakin' heart

The suspect in the 2005 disappearance of American Natalee Holloway in Aruba, Joran van der Sloot, has been "severely beaten" in a prison in Peru, his lawyer Maximo Altez told CBS News.

"It was a fight between prisoners. I don't know who assaulted Joran," Altez said, without providing any further detail on his client's condition.***

Van der Sloot is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence in Peru for the 2010 murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores in Lima. He's awaiting temporary extradition to the United States to face American charges of extortion and wire fraud related to promises he allegedly made to Holloway's family about leading authorities to her body.***

***

Keep your violence off my, uh

BALTIMORE -- Anti-abortion rights demonstrators were attacked Friday, one brutally, after an ideological argument outside a Planned Parenthood in Baltimore, police said.

The attack involved the suspect tackling an 80-year-old man and pummeling a 73-year-old man before kicking him "with extreme force" in the face, police said.

Officers responded around 10:30 a.m. to the healthcare center on North Howard Street for the alleged assault, where witnesses said two men were attacked.

The responding officer found the more severely injured victim, a 73-year-old man, at a local business. According to police, the man had "a large lump forming on his right eyebrow and blood and swelling around the right eye and right side of his face."

The victim told police he was demonstrating outside Planned Parenthood when an unidentified man attacked a fellow demonstrator, identified as an 80-year-old man.

The victim said he immediately tried to help but was hit by the suspect and fell to the ground, where he was struck in the face. He allegedly told police he didn't remember anything after that. *** https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/anti-abortion-rights-demonstrators-assaulted-outside-baltimore-planned-parenthood-police-say/ - why won't tumblr save posts with working links????? Try pasting into your browser.

Schafer reportedly has been recovering at home while Crosby is currently receiving treatment for his injuries in the shock trauma facility at the University of Maryland. According to a police report, doctors diagnosed Crosby with a large hematoma, hyphemia, and head and neck pain.

Crosby’s “plate bone in his upper right cheek is completely fractured” and “is bleeding from some unidentified area behind his eye, and the bone eye orbit is completely shattered and will have to be replaced with metal,” Roswell said.

The attack left Crosby’s right eye swollen shut with blood dripping from his eye socket, forehead, and nose.*** https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-choice-activist-brutally-attacks-two-elderly-pro-life-advocates-outside-baltimore-planned-parenthood-report - why won't tumblr save posts with working links????? Try pasting into your browser.

***

When she's sentenced to straight probation, tell me again about the sexism of the legal system

A female employee in a Pennsylvania school allegedly groped a teenage student during an in-school suspension, which continued throughout the day and with "sexual activity" in her car that evening, police said. 

Megan Carlisle, 37, also allegedly sent explicit pictures and videos of herself to the 15-year-old student and his 16-year-old friend, Northwest Regional Police said in a press release. 

Her alleged sexual escapades with an underage student happened while she was employed as a paraprofessional and in-school-suspension monitor in the Elizabethtown Area School District in Lancaster County, which has since fired her.

After Carlisle allegedly "engaged in sexual activity" with the victim in her car on April 28, she sent him $20 via Cash App for food, the student reportedly told police, according to FOX 43. He also reportedly asked her for vape pods, which she allegedly bought for him the next day.*** https://www.foxnews.com/us/female-middle-school-monitor-sex-teen-who-hit-her-up-vapes-cash-police why does tumblr hate links?

***

[michaelabbate-us]

Michael Abbate - A Hard-working Defense Attorney

While studying at Harvard for his law degree, Michael Abbate captained the football and cross-country teams and still runs whenever he can. After graduating with honors, he began a career in corporate law to fund his future philanthropic efforts. Michael Abbate now works as a criminal defense attorney in New Jersey.

[revelagencyusa]

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At Revel Digital Agency, we integrate modern design with SEO best practices, ensuring your website attracts traffic and converts visitors into clients.

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Law Firm Internet Marketing in New Jersey involves strategies designed to increase your online visibility. Through methods like local SEO and Google Ads, law firms can connect with clients who are actively searching for their services.

By targeting local keywords such as "divorce attorney New Jersey" or "criminal defense lawyer NJ," you ensure your firm appears at the top of search results. This visibility drives inquiries, consultations, and ultimately, new clients.

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Digital marketing for attorneys encompasses a wide array of strategies aimed at improving your online reach. Attorney Digital Marketing in New Jersey combines elements such as:

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Authority is essential in the legal field. Prospective clients want to work with firms they trust. Lawyer Digital Marketing in New Jersey focuses on positioning your firm as an industry leader. By regularly publishing insightful content, engaging on social media, and maintaining a strong online reputation, you demonstrate your credibility and expertise.

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To succeed in Lawyer Marketing in New Jersey, you must understand your audience. What are their pain points? How can your firm address their needs? By crafting personalized campaigns that speak directly to your audience, you build stronger connections and encourage engagement.

Revel Digital Agency uses data-driven insights to create marketing strategies that resonate with your target demographic.

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What is the benefit of digital marketing for law firms? Digital marketing increases your visibility, helping potential clients find your firm online. It also enhances your credibility and drives new business.

How does local SEO help law firms in New Jersey? Local SEO ensures your firm ranks for searches like "lawyer near me," connecting you with clients in your area.

Why is a professional website important for law firms? A professional website builds trust, showcases your expertise, and serves as a hub for all your marketing efforts.

What services does Revel Digital Agency offer for law firms? We provide comprehensive services, including SEO, web design, PPC advertising, content marketing, and reputation management tailored to law firms in New Jersey.

Conclusion

Marketing your law firm in New Jersey requires a strategic approach that combines modern techniques with a deep understanding of your audience. Whether it's optimizing your website, running targeted ads, or enhancing your online presence, Revel Digital Agency has the expertise to help your firm succeed.

By investing in Law Firm Marketing in New Jersey, you not only increase your visibility but also build lasting relationships with your clients. Looking to elevate your law firm’s marketing efforts? Let Revel Digital Agency help you reach new heights.

[bllsbailey]

Huckabee to Newsmax: ICC a 'Bad Joke,' Warrants 'Not Funny'

It is "one of the most ridiculous and irrational things" that the International Criminal Court would issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Mike Huckabee, who is President-elect Donald Trump's nominee as ambassador to Israel, told Newsmax on Friday.

"I was outraged," Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, told Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "The ICC is a joke, but it's a bad joke, and the tragedy is, it's not funny. It's not funny because they are playing with absolute fire."

The ICC's warrants accuse Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of committing the war crime of starvation, as well as crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts against Hamas after the Iranian-backed group's terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

"Let's remember that 412 days ago, Hamas ran from Gaza into Israel and massacred, they didn't just murder, they massacred Israeli civilians," said Huckabee. "They did it with the intention not only of inflicting the most level of pain, but humiliation. And the result of that has been they still hold hostages, seven of whom are Americans."

President Joe Biden on Thursday condemned the warrants, calling the actions "outrageous."

Huckabee said he is grateful for the administration's stance.

"The Biden administration was very clear in not trying to step back or in any way give any soft answer to this," he said. "They were clear, and for that, I think we can all be grateful."

Meanwhile, Huckabee told Newsmax that he was "overwhelmed" by Trump's nominating him for the ambassadorship.

He said he believes the role, if he is confirmed, will be "one of the most significant tasks that I will have ever had in my life, and an extreme honor."

He noted that he's been going to Israel since he was a teenager in 1973, and he has built significant relationships there.

"Some of the things that the president did in his first term, the Abraham Accords, and so many ways in which he was, I think, supportive of Israel, but not just verbally but demonstrably," said Huckabee. "That's what we need right now. It's what Israel needs."

Trump "understands that Israel is in some ways the centerpiece of the world," he added.

"It's a tiny little sliver of real estate the size of New Jersey, but it's the most contested piece of real estate on planet Earth," said Huckabee. '[Trump] also understands that it is the indigenous homeland of the Jewish people and has been for 3,500 years, and they have a right to exist with freedom and security, and no one has done more to help foster that and to really stand with that than President Trump has."

Huckabee also commented on Trump's pick of former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his attorney general, replacing Matt Gaetz who dropped out of contention for the spot Thursday.

"I've known Pam for many years," said Huckabee. "We have a personal friendship. We both serve on the Kennedy Center Board and had been friends a long time before that. She's great. I absolutely think it was a brilliant choice."

Gaetz also made the right call "by realizing he didn't want to be a distraction," said Huckabee. "Pam Bondi is going to be wonderful, and I think President Trump made a brilliant choice in selecting her."

Sandy Fitzgerald ✉

Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics. 

© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

[brunoandferraro]

At the law offices of Bruno and Ferraro our new jersey criminal defense lawyers are focused on protecting the rights of our clients with strategic, experienced and results-driven advocacy. From your initial consultation through the final resolution of your case, we focus on protecting your rights and preventing the consequences of a criminal conviction.

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Charged With Driving While Intoxicated |Top DWI Lawyers Available in Monmouth County

The Monmouth County DWI Lawyer is well-versed in the most recent laws and regulations pertaining to Monmouth County statutes and has a wealth of expertise in DWI cases. Don't be afraid to call us at 732-615-0039 if you've been accused of DWI in Monmouth County for a free consultation.

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Verified Alabama Lawyers Email List

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[offender42085]

Post 0498

Liam McAtasney, New Jersey inmate 674174G, born 1997, incarceration intake in 2019 at age 23, sentenced to life

Murder, Robbery, Disturbing Human Remains, Tampering with Evidence, Hindering Prosecution, Conspiracy

Liam McAtasney was sentenced to life in prison without parole for murdering his childhood friend Sarah Stern in December 2016 and enlisting the help of his former roommate to toss her body over a New Jersey bridge.

McAtasney was also sentenced to an additional 10 years for desecration of human remains. That sentence will run consecutively.

In February 2019, a Monmouth County jury found McAtasney guilty on all seven counts against him, including first-degree murder, conspiracy, desecrating human remains, tampering with evidence and other charges. He was accused of strangling 19-year-old Stern, his high school classmate, in December 2016 and enlisting her prom date and his former roommate, Preston Taylor, to help throw her body off a bridge in Belmar, New Jersey, according to authorities. Stern’s body has never been recovered.

Prosecutors argued that McAtasney killed Stern for the thousands of dollars that had once belonged to her mother, who died of cancer in 2013. They claimed McAtasney planned Stern’s death for six months and his aim was to get money from her lock box, which he believed was stuffed with cash.

The defendant looked down while listing to the victim’s family impact statement, never making eye contact with Stern’s father. But just moments later, when prosecutors described the details of his crime and argued for consecutive sentencing, McAtasney wiped tears from his eyes.

Prosecutor Meghan Doyle charged that his tears in court were fake and McAtansey has shown no remorse.

Defense attorney Carlos Diaz-Cobo argued McAtasney had no prior criminal history and other counts should run concurrent.

Judge Richard English ultimately sentenced the 21-year-old to life without parole plus 10 years, saying, "This is really a heinous event since this involved two people who knew each other since grammar school. He came up with this plan for six months prior and convinced someone else to take part."

Also present in the courtroom was Sarah’s classmate and Liam’s good friend Anthony Curry. In a sting operation with police, he secretly recorded McAtasney, capturing what prosecutors argued was McAtasney’s confessing to the crime. Curry made no comment.

Judge English credited Curry with breaking the case: "If not for Mr. Curry, this could have been a cold case."

During the trial, jurors were shown a video of Curry’s hidden camera recording.

"It took me half an hour to kill her... The worst part of it is I thought I was walking out [with] $50,000 to $100,000 in my pocket," McAtasney said on the tape. "She had one safe that she took money out [of], and she only had $10,000."

"He was treating her life like a joke," English said.

English said "McAtansey made several mistakes even though he thought he was the smartest person. He didn’t count on [his former roommate and Stern's prom date] Preston [Taylor] giving up faster than anyone I’ve ever seen."

Taylor pleaded guilty earlier to first-degree robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree disturbing or desecrating human remains.

Taylor, who testified against McAtasney, said McAtasney told him Stern had the "type of money somebody would kill for" and that he planned to get her drunk and take the money left by her mother.

Taylor was sentenced to 15 years for his role. See post 220.

3j