#the misplaced attorney

[oliver-ashcroft-documents]

❣️DATING SIM TROPES!❣️

Copypasta courtesy of @blueheartedmayor, with little tweaks by me!

Tagged by: @blueheartedmayor and @crushng! :D

Tagging: @freebirdyance, @asterius-of-crete, and @ship-status for any of y'all's muses :D!

Art by: Me, using my personal tumblr tag @fireflies-are-kewl! Do NOT repost or use my art without my explicit permission.

REPOST AND FILL IN WITH DETAILS ABOUT YOUR MUSE AS IF THEY WERE A CHARACTER IN A DATING SIM.

Name: Oliver Ashcroft Nicknames: Ollie, most often. He doesn't mind common nicknames when dating, like babe or sweetheart, but he does like flower nicknames that mean something!

Profession: Oliver's a District Attorney! He's pretty busy, if a lover finds him in pre-WKM, but he loves making time for those he cares about. If he's met him outside of the WKM universe, he's, uh... unemployed, due to being tossed through time and space as an unwilling time traveler. Though, if he's around for a while, he often finds gardening work or something involving documents.

Favorite kind of food: Savory things, like potato soup, is his go to! He likes homey foods. Though, if he and a lover are cooking together, he doesn't mind what is being made, as he loves spending time with his significant other. (Also, he has penchant for sour candy!)

Favorite alcoholic drink: He's not a heavy drinker. He usually stops after two glasses of red win or a classic Manhattan. Oliver does not like how sleepy and overly flirtatious he gets while more than tipsy. He does not mind his partners drinking, though, and will often be their DD to make sure they have a good, safe time!

When does he drink?: Mostly with his partner, and that is often if he's out with them for a social event or on a date. Outside of that, he doesn't drink.

Favorite trait in a partner: Genuineness. No matter the verse, Oliver values someone being honest with him and with themselves, along with cool-headedness. He has self-admitted issues with his anger, but having someone beside him that can remind him to breathe is something he would greatly appreciate.

Favorite spot for a date: Anywhere outside! Hikes, walks in the park, gardening, anything. He loves being outside and working with his hands when he can. Oliver also likes that the outdoors gives more freedom to talk and laugh with his partner.

Ideal Gift: Something heartfelt would capture his attention the most, like a card or even flowers. He's a bit of a romantic on that front, haha! As for other material gifts, he doesn't exactly speak that love language when he receives it; he's more of a physical touch and quality time person, though he appreciates it nevertheless!

[brodorokihousuke]

is it normal to be possessed by the vengeful spirit of your dead best friend? [most recent google search on Apollo's computer]

new au alert. Clay wants to find his killer but his end goal is... perhaps a little different from Apollo's. Why have a trial when you can just kill the killer back- using your unwilling living friend's body, of course?

[cringelordofchaos]

He's a good thunker y'all

[iveneverbeenmorestressedinmylife]

Screaming crying throwing up.

[velvees-archive]

Making my case for ManoSouta, Ace Attorney’s token doomed yaoi

Bronco knew, and still he told nobody.

Ace Attorney Investigations 2 full game spoilers ahead!

Chalk it up to lucky guesswork or my expertly honed writer’s intuition (sarcasm), but so rarely do I latch onto side ships that when I found myself gravitating towards Bronco (Manosuke Naito) x Simeon (Souta Sarushiro, hence ManoSouta) simply because of this line, I knew something was up…

…and boy was I right.

Simeon Saint’s fall from grace was a direct consequence of subjection to a corrupt justice system and equally as corrupted individuals. There was his father, who saw Simeon’s existence as a means to an end (the end being a pharmaceutical “recipe” book that could cure Gusto’s affliction and a shiny world class confectioner title), his best friend, who kidnapped him and almost killed him on his dad’s orders, and—if that wasn’t enough to destroy someone’s psyche—there was the presidential assassination trio, who tormented, interrogated, and dangled their judicial and executive power over him like a special-brand curse.

This is a character who hit rock bottom so long ago he believes nothing is left of him except agony, paranoia, and anger. He crafts an intricate revenge plot that dishes Simeon-esque justice to everyone who wronged him. The acts are performed mercilessly, too, no hesitation, regret, or unnecessary feelings involved in the flawless execution of his plan.

Well, almost.

There was one person in the same boat—no family, no longstanding companionship (barring each other)—who set Simeon’s descent in motion. Ironically, it is also through this person that we’re shown what remains of his humanity.

For me to talk about Simeon’s feelings as shown before we found out he was the mastermind, though, we have to see how he reacted after the big reveal. Upon being fingered as the villain, Simeon makes it clear he does not feel remorse towards any of the people “he” killed. After all, they drew first blood; Simeon firmly believes retaliation was warranted.

That is, until Miles clarifies the following points surrounding Simeon’s kidnapping, his memory loss, and the fate of his and Bronco’s fathers:

The reason Simeon was kidnapped wasn’t so Bronco’s dad could kill Simeon’s; Bronco was only meant to stall Simeon so he couldn’t help his dad win the confectionary competition finale

When a murder did occur, the victim of the murder was not Simeon’s dad, but Bronco’s.

This is how Simeon responds:

“He deserved to die!…Didn’t he?”

This line, in conjunction with the contemplative flashback shown in the video, conveys Simeon’s uncertainty/regret about inciting Knight’s murder, though one could argue this is only in reaction to the revelation rather than a lingering attachment to Knight, who he “stopped thinking” was his friend 18 years ago.

But then he follows it up with this.

“Then what was all this…for…!?”

At this point, you have to ask yourself why Simeon is questioning his entire plan (keyword in the quote is all, not just Bronco’s death) because he realized whose father actually died. Technically speaking, Bronco did still kidnap him. On top of that, everyone else Simeon exacted revenge on still wronged him, so it makes no sense to say this unless Bronco’s supposed role in “Simeon’s” father’s death was pivotal in Simeon’s decision to proceed with his whole plot. In other words, the reason Simeon questions his plot after Miles’ clarification is because this fundamental misunderstanding was what pushed him to take revenge on everyone in the first place. Bronco’s betrayal weighed so heavily on him that Simeon had no choice but to kill him in line with his principles, but he didn’t actually want to.

I’m not saying he wanted to spare Bronco because of the power of friendship or some misplaced sentimentality. It was inevitable that Bronco would die by Simeon’s hand because Simeon vowed to get his revenge on everyone who hurt him. What I am saying is that Simeon’s resolve is clearly shaken once Bronco’s role in his suffering is cleared up. As soon as Simeon realized Bronco’s dad didn’t murder his dad, he regretted killing his only friend. This is the only time Simeon shows remorse.

You might think Simeon’s hatred for Bronco stems from his kidnapping and its consequences, aka setting off the chain of events that would ruin Simeon’s life outside of “his” dad dying. However, Simeon doesn’t hold a grudge over Bronco for anything other than the kidnapping. The statement, “If you hadn’t detained me 18 years ago…it wouldn’t have had to…end like this” is vastly different from “If you hadn’t detained me 18 years ago, none of this would have happened.” His “hatred” for Bronco was a personal grudge he had against his best friend, who also happened to be the son of his dad’s killer. Bronco was on Simeon’s list because his betrayal stung Simeon most. “What was all of this for” really meant, “I wouldn’t have gone through with any of this if I knew you weren’t involved.”

Had Simeon truly hated him, it’d be difficult to justify why he snuck away from his carnival preparations to talk to Bronco. Why did he pay such an incriminating visit when he’d already delivered Bronco’s chess set during visiting hours? And why did he tell Bronco he snuck something into it, leaving him vulnerable to counterattack should Bronco tattle?

Why did he bother saying goodbye?

Simeon’s actions betray logic because try as he might to hate Bronco with all his heart, he cared. Bronco Knight’s betrayal was the straw that broke the camel’s back, but imagine if the misunderstanding had been sorted from the start. Simeon's reaction to wrongfully killing Bronco was a stellar portrayal of his desire for genuine companionship, and a peek into what remained of his humanity before he was unmasked. He really was all alone.

If you’re still not sold on them being the doomed yaoi representatives of Ace Attorney, if a misplaced desire for revenge cutting their time short doesn’t make this tragic enough, then consider this: Bronco legitimately cared for and trusted Simeon, but unlike Simeon, he was left completely in the dark.

He’s legitimately excited to see Simeon’s performance. He happily awaited Simeon’s chess correspondences because he just likes being around him!!

Perhaps the biggest sticking point in all of this is that Simeon admitted he put something in his chess set, Bronco definitely opened his chess set, and yet when it came time for Fifi Laguarde to interrogate him (aka when she discovers the chisel), Bronco does not tell her he doesn’t own it, he does not tell her he’s been set up, and he does not tell her his best friend—who the precinct knows visited him—is the one who put it there. Why didn’t Bronco tell her?

That’s the greatest pull of their dynamic: we don’t know. Maybe everything happened too fast. Maybe he did try to protest. Maybe he ratted Simeon out but Laguarde was already in hysterics. Maybe Bronco didn’t understand why the chisel frenzied the warden so, and paid the ultimate price for it.

Or maybe, just maybe, Bronco already knew the moment he saw the chisel. Maybe he died a knowing victim of Simeon’s retribution. Maybe he thought it better that the knowledge of their past—Paul Halique’s ring and Simeon’s secret hatred— dissolve with his last breath.

Worse yet, maybe he couldn’t believe Simeon would do something like this. Maybe he continued to have blind faith in him despite the damning evidence. Maybe he believed in him.

[oliver-ashcroft-documents]

'oh wonderful! ukulele is a fun little instrument! those music classes would be really good for you.' Oliver signed joyously, a smile on his face the whole time. Yancy mentioned his wild hair, his longer strands a bit wild in his field of vision now that the guy mentioned it, and he nodded his head to the side. The once attorney rolled his eyes and ran a hand through it, the freckles on his arms a bit darker than they used to be.

'it's hard to know when you'll be disappearing next; can't exactly grab a brush when you're falling through the sidewalk!' He joked back, sitting up to adjust the phone between his cheek and shoulder. 'as for living life, it has been wild. half of it you would not believe, the other half you would think i'm crazy!'

Oliver mused for a second, reaching out to play with the phone's cord for a minute. Then he replied. 'guess you can say i got up close and personal with the stars most recently. that whole adventure was a rollercoaster until I got zapped out of there. i wonder if they're still looking for where I went...'

‘hey Yancy! i’m so sorry i haven’t came by recently… traveling is a bit unreliable right now.’ Oliver signed, the phone cradled in the hollow of his shoulder. He grins. ‘how’s the jailhouse treating you?’

@oliver-ashcroft-documents

-

"Crashing Wallop Lackadaisy -" Oh no, Yancy had to resort to using the full name in a scolding voice and a wagging finger, "- I thought I told you that youse don't gotta be here every month for the visitation slot. That ain't fair on no one. Youse got a lotta living to catch up on, remember?"

Of course Oliver would remember. Not everyone was in prison because they landed in it through a weird thing. The mess was sorted out and Oliver was sent on his merry way. Which was important! Innocent people didn't belong in prison. But a question was asked, and the greaser would answer.

"Y'know. Same shit, different day. I's been looking at some of them music courses they's is running. I got this ukulele, see, but I ain't that good at playing it. I figure someone oughta know how it works, right? Can't be that hard if you asks me." He could play a few melodies by ear, but the chords were proving too tricky a challenge.

"But that ain't important right now. What has you been up to out there? Youse is looking great, though that hair of youse's needs a proper combing. I thought you knew better than to let birds nest in it." He was teasing, of course, if one went by the way he rested his free hand on the top of his head to mimic a bird's beak popping out.

[fake-married-my-dead-fiance]

I really love Choi Su-yeon's character in Extraordinary Attorney Woo because she's an imperfect ally, and she's a really good avatar for the audience.

Choi finds Woo off-putting, she dislikes her obsessions, she doesn't want to be her friend, and is frequently annoyed by and jealous of her, but she also hates seeing people being cruel to Woo. She helps when she sees Woo struggling physically. She defends her when she is attacked. Even if it seems insensitive, she tells Woo to follow social conventions when it is important (like eating food that is offered). Even her warning to Jun-ho about not listening to whale talk all the time, which is kind of misplaced, is mostly out of kindness so Woo won't be hurt.

I feel like sometimes people get so frightened that they will fail at being perfect allies/friends that they almost give up on being allies at all. Choi's role in Woo's life is very important and Woo really appreciates her, even though Choi is nowhere as understanding or informed about autism as some other characters (Jun-ho, Woo's father). Choi likely just thinks she's being a decent person.

And she is! She is a decent person and we need more decent people who are imperfect allies who try their best.

[vague-humanoid]

A hospital lost a part of a Georgia man’s skull and charged him $19,000 for a synthetic skull replacement piece that had to be removed after it became infected, a lawsuit by the patient alleges.

Fernando Cluster, 62, was having surgery for a brain bleed and had to have part of his skull removed last year at Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta. The hospital misplaced a small section of his skull during the procedure and later billed him for it even though it had to be replaced because it became infected, the lawsuit said.

“It is shocking that a medical provider like Emory would lose part of one of its patient’s skulls and then refuse to accept responsibility,” said the patient and his wife in a statement emailed to Law&Crime on Saturday by their attorney, Chloe Dallaire, of the Hornsby Law Group.

[nyaagolor]

What are your thoughts on Apollo Justice (the character)?

OH BOY. OHHHHHH BOY. I have a fever and some free time lfg.

So honestly, I think part of the reason I love Apollo so much is because he runs parallel to Phoenix but also counter to him at the same time. I always saw Simon and Athena as the successors-- in terms of ideology and job and all that other stuff-- to the Phoenix-Edgeworth dynamic and status rather than Apollo and Klavier. Athena and Simon, to me, feel like extensions of the arcs of Phoenix and Edgeworth + the vibes of the original trilogy. Apollo and Klavier ( who I will not talk about bc we will be here all day)? They're the antithesis.

Apollo Justice The Game directly foils the original trilogy in so many ways, but I think even on a more base thematic level it runs counter to a lot of the ideas that we take for granted about the original trilogy, and because Apollo sits at the center of this, the things I love about the game are encapsulated in why I like him. There are a ton of themes in the ace attorney trilogy-- support networks, faith, trust, the truth-- and Apollo is defined by their limits, their failures, and their absence. He is let down, kicked around, defined by abandonment and betrayal and distrust. Apollo is defined by everything that Phoenix is not, and bc of how the timeline goes we don't really get any retribution for that, just a steady march forward, and I think that gives me a lot to think about with his character

Phoenix's arc right from Turnabout Sisters is about the building of a support network, and the ways that developing this support is integral for when things go wrong. We contrast Phoenix with Godot, Maya with Dahlia, and see how people left to stew in their resentment can chase vengeance to dark places (wow I wonder who also does this after the death of a dear friend leading to a crusade of misplaced revenge that almost leads someone they care about being killed.). With Apollo we get to stand on the precipice of resolution, but the important part is we don't get it. Apollo's life falls off the rails, and he's the one left to pick up the pieces.

We see through him how our trust can be betrayed by people of good and bad intentions, and the lingering consequences that has on one's ability to not only trust the people around them but themselves. And yeah!! That's why I adore him so much-- he's tested not by the possibility of failure like Phoenix often is, but climbing up from the reality of it. It's less "how do we make our way out of this mess before it goes nuclear" and more "things are already destroyed-- where do we go from here?". It has more of an element of recovery than prevention to me, and I think that's a fascinating avenue to explore in stories like these. Apollo pushes the envelope of the themes of the narrative and the characters-- he is the epitome of what it looks like when things fall apart, and it gives him and the trilogy characters something to reconcile

A lot of people have complained that Apollo barely feels like the protagonist in his own game, but that's honestly a huge part of the reason why I love him so much. He's defined by the spaces between, the limits and failures of things we had up to this point taken to be true, and left with a pretty limited degree of autonomy through it all. He's pushed around and puppeteered by people who mean well and those who don't, and I feel like a major theme of AA4 that I love but don't often see talked about is "what does it mean to have autonomy-- and by extension, control? What does it mean to take it back? What does it mean to lose it, and what does it mean when you'd do anything to keep it." Most of what I said is only partially resolved bc AA4 is... a game. A technically finished game. but!! Because it eviscerates our expectations of the franchise so thoroughly AND leaves open so many avenues, it makes Apollo and the rest of his crew some of my favorite characters because there's so much you can think about and do with them!!

also he's like. An insect to me. <3

[tomorrowusa]

The Donald Trump hush money trial starts today in NYC.

Jury selection is the first order of business. In normal trials that may take a day or two. With Trump's legal foot-dragging, that could go into weeks.

There had been some doubts about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's approach to this case. There is some new ground here. But Slate's Mark Joseph Stern, an attorney who initially had some reservations about the prosecution, is now "fully onboard" with it.

Over the past year, though, I have realized that my initial doubts about Bragg’s indictment were misplaced. It now seems clear that Trump’s New York trial, slated to begin this week, will be the former president’s only criminal trial before the November election. The other three strong indictments against him in other jurisdictions have unfortunately been delayed by a corrupt judge, a foot-dragging Supreme Court, and a district attorney’s questionable conduct in an already complex case. This, combined with Bragg’s excellent pretrial briefing, has substantially strengthened the case for this prosecution. It is important to American democracy that Trump be forced to defend at least some of his alleged criminal conduct before a jury of his peers in advance of Election Day. [ ... ] Shortly before the 2020 election, Trump wanted to kill a story about his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress. So he allegedly directed his longtime fixer Michael Cohen to pay off Daniels, through a shell company, for her silence. Afterward, Trump funneled $420,000 to Cohen in installments. But he allegedly concealed the payments by listing them as legal expenses for a retainer that did not exist. Last year, I was uncertain whether this scheme, while sordid, rose to the level of a felony offense. I am now convinced that, if proved that he took these actions, it surely does. The falsification of business records is, by itself, a misdemeanor under New York law, but it’s a felony when it’s done with the “intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.” In his indictment, Bragg claims that Trump lied about the payments with the intent to violate election law, which is what elevates the crime to a felony. Initially, I was suspicious of this theory; what election law, exactly, was the former president attempting to violate? The district attorney’s initial statement of facts was hazy on this crucial point, raising the possibility that he couldn’t tie the underlying fraud to a state or federal statute. Turns out he could. Bragg has argued, convincingly, that the former president intended to violate at least two election laws—one state, one federal. First, Bragg asserted that Trump and Cohen ran afoul of the Federal Election Campaign Act by making unlawful campaign contributions (in the form of a payoff) at the direction of a candidate (that is, Trump).

As a criminal defendant, Trump has to be in court for the trial. And except for holidays, court will be in session four days a week.

So Trump will be in Lower Manhattan quite a bit for the next couple of months. The New York County (Manhattan) Courthouse is at 100 Centre Street. And he owns a major property at 40 Wall Street (modestly called The Trump Building) where he might occasionally be seen. Google Maps puts the walking distance between the two locations at 0.8 miles (1.28 km). So if you're tempted to exercise your First Amendment right to express your opinions to Trump...

[oliver-ashcroft-documents]

Asterius leads Oliver out of the courtyard, and reality bends for just a moment before they're both standing in a vineyard.

Outside.

In the sun.

"Do you like it?" The Minotaur asks, not really looking at the attorney. He's a little embarrassed, hadn't thought anything through. He hopes Oliver won't run.

@asterius-of-crete // the misplaced attorney

Oliver was dizzy after the barely-perceived jump in reality, blinking before looking up at the blue sky. He started to grin as the fresh air hit his face, and he started looking around a vineyard full of green, grapes, and little insects. The attorney looked up at Asterius with utter glee.

'yes! look at this place! i have never seen something like this before.' Oliver signed excitedly before tugging the Minotaur along. He led the way, even though he was clueless as to where the vineyard led. The forever guest looked at a cluster of grapes, looking up at Asterius.

'...i know this is not easy for you. but i greatly appreciate it. it is nice to see the sky, share it with you.' Oliver signed with a softer look, beaming. 'plus, it is nice seeing you in brighter light than the lantern and the torch light.' He chuckled gently, mostly silent as always.

[ceruleanslob]

sorry I've been inactive but here's some random ace attorney aus I thought of (yes, it's mainly wrightworth and krisnix since I'm obsessed with the 3 of them and all their possible dynamics):

misplaced affections- instead of Miles being Phoenix's fixation it was Kristoph (basically a swap between Miles and Kristoph in their role in Phoenix's life)

In a Painterly Way- Kristoph is an artist who is well-acclaimed until Phoenix Wright, a famous art critic, critiques his art for having no soul. The two basically meet and butt heads.

soulmate au- this one has variations:

soulmate marks -Edgeworth and Phoenix are together like the soulmates they were always meant to be, but when Phoenix meets Kristoph, he gains another mark; Edgeworth is not pleased

soulmate heartbreak- au where if one feels that their love for their soulmate is unreciprocated, they're given another soulmate. Phoenix thought his love for Edgeworth was unreciprocated so he was given Kristoph as a new option.. spoiler alert: Edgeworth likes him back this whole time and unfortunately for Phoenix, fate doesn't offer take-backsies

the soulmate diet- au where you can only taste the flavor associated with your soulmate/s in your life until you meet them for the first time. For Phoenix Wright, he can only taste berries: Strawberries and Blueberries specifically. (Of course it's narumitsu and krisnix ;)

Crack undertale au - no plot changes and not to be taken seriously, just the characters taking the roles of the ones in undertale

Frisk-Klavier Chara-Kristoph Toriel-Mia Asgore-Godot (????) mettaton-max galactica Undyne-Franziska Alphys-Ema Flowey/Asriel-Maya Sans-Phoenix (Beanix) Papyrus-Larry Grillby-Edgeworth (??? not sure) WD Gaster- Gregory Edgeworth Muffet- Angel Starr Monster Kid-Pearl Dogamy & Dogaressa-The Delites Greater Dog- Gumshoe Gerson-The Judge Temmie- Trucy (???)

[aahorrorfest]

Day 1: Horror Comedy

Below are all entries for our day one prompt, "horror comedy"!

Great Hunger and Little Hunger by 1800KAGA

Tags: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Ayasato Mayoi | Maya Fey & Naruhodou Ryuuichi | Phoenix Wright, Ayasato Mayoi | Maya Fey, Naruhodou Ryuuichi | Phoenix Wright, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Violence, Graphic Description of Corpses, Banter, Maya Fey & Phoenix Wright Friendship, Fear of Death, Nick and Maya are soulmates fight me, Crack Treated Seriously, Dark Comedy, One Shot

Summary: Maya and Phoenix find life in the midst of death.

Miles Edgeworth and Wendy Oldbag vs. The Undead by scheue_sonnenblume (tumblr post)

Tags: Mitsurugi Reiji | Miles Edgeworth/Ooba Kaoru | Wendy Oldbag, Mitsurugi Reiji | Miles Edgeworth & Ooba Kaoru | Wendy Oldbag, Mitsurugi Reiji | Miles Edgeworth, Ooba Kaoru | Wendy Oldbag, Auchi Takefumi | Winston Payne, Auchi Fumitake | Gaspen Payne, Itonokogiri Keisuke | Dick Gumshoe, Naruhodou Ryuuichi | Phoenix Wright, Ayasato Mayoi | Maya Fey, The Judge (Gyakuten Saiban), Zombie Apocalypse, Crack, Survival Horror, Comedy, Zombie Fighting, Ambiguous Relationships, could be shippy or not, Humor, Horror-typical zombie gore, Your fave Ace Attorney characters as creepy zombies, Banter, flirting?

Summary: Edgeworth had always hated zombie movies as a child. He couldn’t imagine anything more miserable than being the only intelligent life surrounded by mindless groaning automatons, doomed to hack his way through flesh and bone until he either succumbed to them or made it to safety. Now, as he hid behind a makeshift barricade in the courthouse, he realized his old fears were misplaced. The worst thing wasn’t fighting zombies alone. It was fighting them with Wendy Oldbag.

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for feigning my suicide after my mentor was found guilty of murdering my father when I was a child?

I (26M) (Well, that's the age I was when the aforementioned incident occurred) had been working as a prosecutor since my debut when I was 20. I was trained under the mentorship of "A"(??M), raised by him after my father was shot and killed when I was a child of nine years. Since his death, I had believed that I was the one who shot him, but had discovered it was actually my mentor all along, who killed him when I was unconscious.

I was put on trial regarding a murder on christmas eve (I did not kill him), separate from the one involving my father, and out of misplaced guilt I had all but succumb to accepting a guilty verdict when my... associate(?) "B"(26M) offered to be my defense attorney. I eventually agreed, and thus began the trial.

During the trial, it was revealed that the true culprit was one of the witnesses "C"(??M), and it brought to light new information about my father's case all those years ago, which was consequently retried, B uncovering that A had conspired with the witness to carry out the recent murder on account of revenge against me. C believed it was my fault that his life was ruined (he was tried and acquitted for my father's death 15 years prior, but the backlash of the case ruined his reputation. Needless to say he wasn't very fond of me, also under the assumption that I had been the one to shoot my father). A had plotted it all because my father, who was a defense attorney, had blemished A's spotless record as a prosecutor the day he died.

This was both a great relief, to know I hadn't in fact murdered my father, and also very taxing on me mentally, to know that I had been raised and moulded by this man for 15 years into becoming the antithesis of my father.  

Ergo, I was in a very bad place, and shortly after my acquittal, I left a note behind that suggested I wasn't keen on continuing to live. I didn't go through with anything, just took some time to evaluate my life in Europe.

Here's where I recognize I may be an asshole. I didn't tell B any of this, letting him assume I was dead. B was very angry with me when I returned. Upon seeing me again, he told me it would've been better for everyone if I'd never come back from the dead. 

Well you see, our relationship is a bit complicated. I owe him a great deal, and I had come to consider him as a good friend. I had also known B briefly when we were children, and ever since he's become a part of my life again, he's saddled me with unnecessary feelings... Although he used to be someone I absolutely loathed, because I could not win against him when we faced off in court, he ended up being the sole catalyst for my life turning around for the better. Regardless of my opinion on B, he seems to think very highly of me, or in the very least he used to. He was definitely upset that I let him believe I was dead for a year, while I believe it was perfectly reasonable due to the duress I had been under, and I hadn't made any promises to stay around. It's not unusual for me to leave the country, as I resided in Europe for nearly half my life. B has also accused me of leaving because he put an end to my win streak, which as I said, used to be the case, but is absolutely not the reason I left. 

AITA?

#tw suicide #tw murder

[regularaceattorneytakes]

Ace Attorney fact: Simon Blackquill has a deep-rooted fear of Freddy Fazbear. During his time in prison, to deal with her anger in a rather misplaced and projected manner, Aura put audio devices in his cell to mimic Freddy's music box in the dead of night. This is why he is so eepy all the time and has those bags under his eyes. Follow me for more Ace Attorney facts.

[foreverlogical]

The legal briefs are piling up in Florida. 

In the coming weeks, prosecutors in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case against former President Donald Trump must provide more information to Judge Aileen Cannon in compliance with her latest orders. The judge has questioned the “legal propriety” of bringing charges into her courtroom using an out-of-state grand jury. 

In a separate setback for special counsel Jack Smith, Cannon struck two filings by prosecutors from the record. These unusual moves generated a torrent of criticism from legal scholars. 

Aside from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Judge Cannon — who of Cuban American descent — is the most prominent Latina judge in the country. She is overseeing a historic case yet is on track to harm the judiciary system, democracy and her own reputation. Her partisan conduct is an embarrassment. 

To understand why Cannon is unfit to hear Trump’s case, start with her ruling last week. In it, Cannon asked about the legality of using a Washington, D.C., grand jury in a Florida-based case. But this is normal procedure, as grand juries can be convened anywhere crimes may have occurred. As a federal judge, Cannon should know this. 

It’s no wonder that her orders have earned widespread scorn from legal experts. Former Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe called her approach “dopey and constitutionally dubious.” On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, a former assistant U.S. Attorney wrote that Cannon “clearly shows her ignorance (bias? both?).”  And these were some of the kinder reactions. 

This is not the first time Cannon has appeared to favor Trump. After the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago last year, the former president filed a civil lawsuit to stop the Department of Justice investigation. Cannon sided with him, in a decision that was overturned by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. In a scathing rebuke, the appellate court found multiple serious errors in Cannon’s initial ruling and decided that she didn’t even have jurisdiction in the first place. 

These controversies matter to the Latino legal community because it is rare for a Latino judge to be in the national spotlight. In fact, Latino judges are rare. Though Latinos account for about 19 percent of the U.S. population, only 8 percent of federal judges are Latino. Of these, roughly one third are Latinas.  

Cannon is part of a long tradition of Latino jurists, from Alonso Perales, who founded the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in 1929, to civil rights pioneer Gus Garcia, who argued before the Supreme Court in 1954 to Justice Sotomayor. Cannon’s role in a hugely consequential legal matter could have been a source of pride for Latinos. Instead, calls are mounting for her recusal.  

As she tanks her own credibility, Cannon is likewise letting the Latino community down. According to a June Quinnipiac poll, 60 percent of Latinos are following the documents case closely, and 66 percent believe that Trump handled the classified papers in an inappropriate manner. Like other Americans, Latinos want to see the rule of law applied with impartiality. That hasn’t been the case so far, due to Cannon’s emerging pattern of bias.  

Cannon’s apparent fealty to the former president is as troubling as it is unfortunate. Look how that worked out for Alberto Gonzales, whose misplaced loyalty to George W. Bush led the nation's first Latino attorney general to resign. 

Yes, Cannon is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School who previously worked in a D.C. law firm and as a federal prosecutor in Florida. But in her current role, she is a legal time bomb who could blow up a case with immense implications for national security and democracy. 

Consider that she had no judicial experience before her lifetime appointment to the federal bench by Trump in 2020. Or that as a prosecutor, she worked on only four criminal cases that resulted in trials, for a total of 14 trial days. 

Reuters reports that Cannon made rookie mistakes in a trial in June, such as forgetting to swear in the jury, while the New York Times describes her as a judge “who will be essentially learning on the job.”   

To borrow a catchphrase associated with Justice Sotomayor, Judge Cannon is no “Wise Latina.” She must recuse herself from the documents case, or prosecutors should seek to have her replaced. She is too problematic and inexperienced to preside over a criminal trial of Donald Trump.  

Raul A. Reyes is an attorney and contributor to NBC Latino and CNN Opinion. Follow him on Twitter @RaulAReyes, Instagram @raulareyes1.