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During my law enforcement days, I had a generally good relationship with defense lawyers.  That’s because most understood the overwhelming majority of their clients were as guilty as sin.  They also understood it was their duty to provide their clients, no matter how guilty, with the best defense they could manage.  Because they knew I did not hold them in contempt for fulfilling this absolutely vital role in the justice system of our constitutional republic, we were able to get along well.

Some were able to take good-natured ribbing when I made fun of their outlandish case theories—outside the courtroom of course.  We both knew they were shoveling grade-A bovine excrement, which they would more or less sheepishly admit.  But once in the courtroom, we assumed our expected roles.

Most did not behave like the stereotypical cop-hating, bomb-throwing defense attorney; they had more perspective than that.  But I had to deal with those too.  Almost invariably, they had ponytails, and of course, they were leftists.  One could not joke with them.  They hated me with a burning scorn merely because I was a police officer, because I was very good at it and had the goods on their clients, and they could not restrain their contempt.  They often did damage to their clients because of their spittle flinging rage in the courtroom.  Rational people, you see, don’t hate the police just because.

Nor did I hate them.  As much as I disliked seeing two legged predators get away with harming the innocent, I knew–and know—how important the Sixth Amendment is, and as long as defense attorneys didn’t behave like their pony-tailed brethren, bore them no ill will.

While a teacher, I found students would often display disgust at lawyers representing particularly odious clients.  “How can they do that?  They’re scum!” they’d exclaim.  This gave me the opportunity to patiently explain the importance of the Sixth Amendment, about which they were only vaguely aware, if they were aware at all.

Sadly, now and again, lawyers give us cause to appreciate the wisdom of William Shakespeare in Henry VI, Part 2, Act IV, Scene 2:

The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.

Bloomberg Law.com explains:

A law firm representing the Trump campaign in its challenges to the Pennsylvania election results gave notice that it’s withdrawing from one of the cases.

Lawyers with Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP submitted a filing late Thursday stating they were withdrawing as counsel in a federal suit seeking to block Pennsylvania from certifying its vote. No reason was given. In a statement issued Friday, the firm confirmed the filing but did not say why it was exiting the case.

‘We’ve committed to the court to fulfill our obligations as required to ensure transition to substitute counsel and so as not to cause material adverse effect on the client’s interest,’ Porter Wright said. ‘We will have no further comment.’

Isn’t that big of them?

Porter Wright is one of two law firms targeted by the Lincoln Project — a group of Republicans who oppose President Donald J. Trump — for their work on lawsuits challenging the election results. The campaign included encouraging people to email the lawyers on the cases.

While the filing stated that Trump consented to the withdrawal, a campaign spokesman blamed ‘cancel culture’ for Porter Wright’s exit.

Leftist mobs descended upon some of the lawyers representing the President’s campaign and they buckled,’ said Tim Murtaugh, communications director for the campaign. ‘If the target were anyone but Donald Trump, the media would be screaming about injustice and the fundamental right to legal representation. The President’s team is undeterred and will move forward with rock-solid attorneys to ensure free and fair elections for all Americans.’

The Lincoln Project is a group of Never Trumpers that allied with D/S/Cs for the election, and descended to their practices.  John Hinderaker, an attorney, at Powerline, comments:

Porter Wright is a mid-sized law firm with offices in eight cities across the country. But apparently it lacked the courage to stand up against the Twitter mob. The ‘Lincoln Project’ doxxed the two Porter Wright lawyers who signed the Pennsylvania complaint, tweeting their pictures, addresses and telephone numbers, and encouraging leftists to harass them. Reportedly there also were employees at the law firm who objected to representing President Trump. Porter Wright’s abandonment of its client is shameful conduct for which I suspect it will receive little but praise.

Yes, but not among Normal Americans.

Not many years ago, every terrorist in Guantanamo Bay was represented by one of a group of America’s top law firms. For free. No one batted an eye. Now, the President of the United States is having trouble getting lawyers to represent him in asserting perfectly legitimate claims. Some dictator.

This is the latest instance of the most troubling trend in American culture, leftist bullying. Rare is the company (or, as in this case, the law firm) with the courage to stand up against it. It is a serious threat to the liberty of all Americans.

It is a serious threat to the Sixth Amendment, and to the entire Bill of Rights.  One of Joe Biden’s transition lackeys is calling for the destruction of the First Amendment.  Will there be lawyers brave enough to defend the First Amendment?

We might also consider if D/S/Cs are willing to attack lawyers representing President Trump, we can be certain of two things: (1) they have something–something big–to hide, and (2) they’re desperate no one find out what it is and they know the President has a case sufficiently strong to expose it.

Indeed, lawyers representing unpopular clients have always been subject to some degree of scorn, but until now, they saw their steadfastness in upholding the Sixth Amendment as a badge of honor.  They saw enduring insults and threats as a necessary sacrifice if the rule of law was to prevail.  Now, thanks to people like Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the D/S/C establishment, the rule of law stands in jeopardy.  Some Porter Wright lawyers don’t like Donald Trump?  Perhaps their employers ought to determine whether they recognize any legal issue to be of greater importance than their easily bruised feelings and fear of not being invited to the right parties.

Are you saying lawyers can’t choose who to represent?  Not at all, but the time for that choice is prior to agreeing to represent them.  Surely the involved lawyers and their firm knew who they were representing, the importance of the issues, and the certainty of criticism?  To paraphrase Monty Python:

When cancel culture reared it’s ugly head, they bravely turned their tails and fled.  Brave, brave, brave Porter Wright.

Should that black day arrive, I’ll no longer be in the classroom, but I will have to tell my nephews and nieces about how America used to be free, and how even criminals enjoyed competent counsel and due process, and I’ll have to warn them, for their sake and mine, never to tell anyone.  I am tempted to shame Porter Wright and their cowardly lawyers, but such people are obviously incapable of feeling shame.