I don’t represent many clients in misdemeanor cases anymore. Most of my time is spent defending major felony cases. However, once in a while I accept a misdemeanor case that is so obviously an injustice that any prosecutor would immediately dismiss the case; or so I thought.

I suspect when most people pride themselves on loving freedom, they have in mind wimpy concepts like the rights of others to decide for themselves where to go on vacation or what model of automobile to buy. This wimpy concept of freedom doesn’t generate much controversy because most people personally agree with whatever decision another person makes in these areas.

Some people are thugs. As a practicing criminal defense attorney, I sometimes get to meet and talk with thugs. Most of the thugs I represent know they are thugs, and some of them are even proud to be thugs. Most people don’t think of themselves as “thugs.” This is because most thugs don’t realize they are thugs. As with most things, the first step to change is an acknowledgment of the facts. I encourage you to honestly consider whether you are truly a thug.

Whether a person cherishes the 2nd Amendment is of little importance to me. I am more interested in knowing what respect if any, they accord to the rights of others to control their bodies, their money, their property, and their time. There are endless arguments, restrictions, interpretations, and outright lies anti-freedom inclined people will advance in attempts to impose their will on others.

A recent article in the Arizona Republic quoted the presiding judge of the Maricopa County, Arizona Superior Court as stating, “The criminal justice system is in peril. And public safety is in peril.” Although the immoral criminal justice system squirms and struggles to avoid or reverse the collapse, the end result is inescapable. At some point in the future, I expect a complete and total collapse of the criminal “justice” system.

Back in the good old days when Americans were interested in freedom, criminal defense attorneys had an ethical duty to zealously advocate for their clients. The concept being that an adversarial system of justice was more likely to produce just results than an inquisitorial system of justice. However, the Arizona Supreme Court recently decided that the age-old duty of zealous advocacy is no longer appropriate. Attorneys in Arizona now have no such ethical duty.