No Bill! - The Good News You Need -- Joyce Vance

[erronis]

https://joycevance.substack.com/p/no-bill

When a grand jury returns an indictment, it’s called a true bill. On those exceedingly rare occasions where they decline to sign off on an indictment prosecutors present to them, it’s called a no bill. In 25 years at DOJ, I never had a grand jury no bill one of my cases. And I can only recall a couple of instances where it happened in the entire district.

Donald Trump’s new U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia can’t say that. Former judge, Fox News host, and defendant in a defamation case where she is accused of spreading false information about voter fraud, Jeanine Pirro, recently received three no bills—all in the same case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office tried to charge Sydney Lori Reid with felony assault on three separate occasions this month, but the grand jury declined to do so. CNN reports that “In one case this month — related to an FBI agent and an immigration officer allegedly scrapping with a detainee — the federal grand jury in Washington voted ‘no’ three times.”

Proceedings inside of the grand jury are conducted in secret, so there is no way of knowing why the grand jury rejected the charge. Typically, if a grand jury expresses some hesitation over a case, prosecutors will bring in additional witnesses or offer counsel about relevant laws to help alleviate their concerns. To fail to indict not once, but three times, indicates a failure of both competence and judgment.

When asked about her failure, Pirro responded, “Sometimes a jury will buy it and sometimes they won’t. So be it, that’s the way the process works.” But that’s not true. The standard for obtaining an indictment is a low one: The prosecution need only persuade the grand jury that probable cause to proceed on the charges exists. That’s a far lower bar than the requirement that the government prove a crime was committed beyond a reasonable doubt before a trial jury can convict. Any prosecutor who doesn’t back off of a case where they can’t even convince grand jurors that probable cause exists, knowing that much more will be expected of them at trial, is wasting taxpayer resources. Prosecutors have plenty of cases. Move on and do a righteous one. But apparently, that’s not how the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office operates these days.

. . .

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. Trump is not omnipotent, and the people are not powerless. Nt

[gab13by13]

2. Not to worry then?

Project 2025 is way ahead of schedule. I heard that from a former National Guard officer yesterday.

All of the best JAG lawyers were fired, what is the count up to now, 8 - 10 generals fired. The intelligence agencies gutted and people fired and replaced by YES people.

It looks to me that Krasnov isn't being stopped in his final goal of omnipotence. If you don't give Krasnov what he wants, he will fire you.

Maybe Judge Pirro was drunk, she should have started out practicing indicting a ham sandwich.

The people want to fight, waiting for orders. Asking me every day for campaign money isn't the way I would fight back.

[Fiendish Thingy]

3. What, me worry?

I prefer to resist.

I’m not sure worrying serves much purpose except to reinforce a sense of powerlessness.

Worrying is a passive, reactive pastime.

Waiting for orders is a passive pastime.

If you don't give Krasnov what he wants, he will fire you.

He can’t fire me, I’m retired. Can he fire you? Can he fire the grand juries that returned no bills to Pirro’s requested indictments?

Helen Keller said:

I am only one, but still I am one.I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do

Resistance focuses on action, whether it be in the form of speaking out, protesting, boycotting, donating, voting, not complying or surrendering in advance.

Resistance is a form of exercising one’s power.

[erronis]

4. Touchay. I'm sure Joyce Vance does not wear rose tinted glasses.

I did enter "Touché" in the title line but DU doesn't like fancy characters there....

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. Turns out you can't indict a ham sandwich.

Link to tweet

[MLWR]

6. I'd bet she had trouble proving that that sandwich inflicted "bodily injury" on the officer:

"Prosecutors sought to indict Reid with an enhanced felony version of an assault charge that requires inflicting bodily injury on a federal officer"

[LeftInTX]

9. Yeah, at most this would be a "county court" type thing. No grand jury involved.

The lowest level misdemeanor with no grand jury. Probably would result in a warning for a first time offender. Possibly resulting in a fine for a repeat offender. It would fall under nuisance behaviors such as "disturbing the peace".:"Interfering with duties...." something like that....

[irisblue]

7. I truly hope the grand jurors asked for sandwiches for lunch.

[irisblue]

8. From the NYT article

"It is extremely unusual for prosecutors to come out of a grand jury without obtaining an indictment because they are in control of the information that grand jurors hear about a case and defendants are not allowed to have their lawyers in the room as evidence is presented."