D.C. Lawyer Preparing to Defend City's Gun Ban Fired

[Hazcat]

Acting D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles has fired the city lawyer who had been preparing to defend the longtime District ban on handguns in the high-stakes Supreme Court case this spring.

Alan B. Morrison, who has argued roughly 20 cases before the high court, was asked to leave his post as special counsel by the end of this week, Morrison said today. Morrison had been hired by former Attorney General Linda Singer, who resigned two weeks ago, and put in charge of arguing the handgun case.

The city has appealed to the Supreme Court to maintain the handgun ban after a lower court overturned the ban in the spring. The high court agreed to hear the case, probably in March, which would mark the first time the Supreme Court has examined a Second Amendment case in nearly 70 years.

Singer cited frustration that Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) had relied more heavily on Nickles, who had been his general counsel, to make key legal decisions. Upon Singer's resignation, Fenty replaced her with Nickles, a former high-powered corporate litigator at Covington & Burling and friend of Fenty's family.

More at link http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/02/AR2008010201116.html

[Hazcat]

Related:

City Officials To File Briefs In D.C. Gun Ban Case

WASHINGTON -- City officials must file legal briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court this week on why justices should not overturn the city's 30-year-old ban on handguns in homes, News4's Tom Sherwood reported.

Acting D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles will file the city's formal brief on Friday, kicking off the 2008 defense of the law that was challenged successfully in a lower court last year.

More at link http://www.nbc4.com/news/14957534/detail.html

[DDMac]

I predict a decline in criminal homicides (robberies,Rape&runs, etc), a temporary increase in justifiable homicides, and real problems for the anti-gun states surrounding D.C.. Re-establishing civility will require drawing a very hard line. I am confident the citizens of D.C. will be up to it. Mac. Again, thanks for the info Haz.

[tombogan03884]

Do you think Fenty is secretly pro gun, seems like he's sabataging his own case.

[Hazcat]

No, from what I understand from some DC people is that he is VERY lib BUT he is also very honest and is trying to clean up his office.

[Sponsor]

[ismram]

I predict a decline in criminal homicides (robberies,Rape&runs, etc), a temporary increase in justifiable homicides, and real problems for the anti-gun states surrounding D.C.. Re-establishing civility will require drawing a very hard line. I am confident the citizens of D.C. will be up to it. Mac. Again, thanks for the info Haz.

Mack, I agreed with everything that you said until you got too the part about  being confident about citizens of D.C. Remember they elected a crackhead for Mayor. He went to jail for six months, and then they elected him again!

[DDMac]

ISMRAM, you are absolutely right. I just fell for his re-election motto: "Jus gimme one more crack at it!!" The voters of DC don't want corrupt government. Apparently they demand it! Thanks for brining me back to Earth..   Mac.

[leatherman92]

I agree with ddmack and ismram.

[jnevis]

Just remember that DC is a place full of people who live on a swamp, filled with people who wouldn't know the truth if it hit them in the head.  The place was never supposed to have people living there to begin with.  Now its full of cheaters, liers, and swindlers (and that's the law abiding people of the city).

If the Supreme Court rules against DC just think what will happen in places like CA and MD.  Sure they don't have an outright ban but they keep marching closer to it.

--->from CA living in MD