If our Constitution is meant to define and to limit the power of the government and to memorialize and to protect the rights of the governed, why should a mistake by the government benefit the government and its officials?  Yes, keeping evidence out may benefit a guilty party, but who benefits when the rights of the governed can be lost to “accident” and to “negligence.”

This remains one of my favorite opinions, though perhaps it would be a better Halloween post.

Today, I am at Louisiana State Penitentiary to meet a client.  I am not here because he was convicted of committing a crime or because he was a defendant.  I am here because he felt he was wronged, that his bodily integrity was violated.

I am here because we truly have a system were the least amongst us can stand against the most powerful of us.  It is far from perfect, but it is a wonderful system if you work hard and push hard for justice.

My client filed suit on his own, survived the early land minds of civil suits, and found his way to me.

We fought hard, and we got him some justice and most importantly a feeling that his voice was heard.  I am here so he can sign paperwork to end his suit.

He is being compensated some for his loss.  Most importantly, we have courts that allow the least of us to stand against those who tower over them in so many other ways.