The Legal Forum welcomes letters to the editor at tramstack@gmail.com, which will be published here.
D.C. Sandwich Guy Acquitted
Of Assaulting Federal Officer
A jury returned a not guilty verdict last week for the “D.C. Sandwich Guy” who threw his footlong Subway sandwich at a Customs and Border Patrol agent in August in downtown Washington, D.C.
The attorney for Sean Dunn said the toss of a sandwich against the agent’s bulletproof vest did not represent enough of a threat to be considered an assault.
The bigger issue was community outrage in cities where some local residents are upset by recent law enforcement surges, along with National Guard deployments.
Before he threw the sandwich, Dunn shouted at CBP agents, “I don’t want you in my city.” He called them “fascists.”
Since then, he has become a local hero among residents who share his concern. Some residents painted silhouettes on walls across the city of a man throwing a sandwich at officers.
“I am so happy that justice prevails in spite of everything happening,” Dunn told reporters outside the federal courthouse.
He is a former Justice Department paralegal. He was fired after he was chased by officers and arrested.
Video presented at his trial showed him saying, “I did it. I threw a sandwich. I did it to draw them away from where they were. I succeeded.”
He was referring to federal agents and National Guard troops posted in areas of downtown Washington known for high crime and sometimes frequented by illegal immigrants. The U Street location where Dunn confronted the federal agents was outside a Subway restaurant.
A grand jury earlier refused to indict the 37-year-old Air Force veteran on the felony sought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and instead reduced the charge to misdemeanor assault.
After the verdict, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro issued a statement saying, “As always, we accept a jury’s verdict; that is the system within which we function. However, law enforcement should never be subjected to assault, no matter how 'minor'. Even children know when they are angry, they are not allowed to throw objects at one another."
U.S. Military Strikes Off Venezuelan Coast
Create Disputes Over International Law
Ongoing U.S. military strikes against boats suspected of carrying drugs from Venezuela have set off an international dispute over the legality of the missile assaults.
United Nations officials describe the strikes as acts of war.
Under Article 51 of the U.N. charter, acts of war are justified only through Security Council authorization or as a matter of self-defense during an armed attack. The Security Council could authorize military action to maintain peace and security.
So far, at least 64 people have been killed in 15 U.S. aerial attacks on boats carrying suspected illegal drugs toward the United States.
The Justice Department argues the strikes are not acts of war but police action against “narco-terrorists.” The harm to Americans from the drugs justifies use of force against the smugglers, Justice Department officials say.
Continue Reading
Latest News
Injured Soldier Argues for Broader Liability
Of Government Contractors in War Zones
The Supreme Court appeared receptive last week to a soldier's lawsuit against a government contractor whose employee killed five people at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan in 2016.
The employee of Fluor Corp. was a suicide bomber.
Seventeen people were injured, including the plaintiff, Army Specialist Winston T. Hencely.
Fluor is an Irving, Texas-based engineering and construction company that builds and maintains facilities worldwide. It claimed that federal law granted it immunity from liability as a wartime government contractor.
A key issue in the case is whether state or federal law should determine Fluor’s liability or immunity from lawsuits. A ruling that state law controls could vastly expand the liability of U.S. military contractors.
Power the Civil Rights Work of Our Time
Each day members of our community are experiencing wage theft, the effects of gentrification, discriminatory policing, collateral consequences, marginalization in schools, and barriers to public accommodations.
We fight alongside people facing the effects of gentrification like Amira Moore. Our work empowers the people and communities who need it most, “We can do more than we think. There’s a path to equity, we just have to step to it.” –Ms. Moore
For more than 50 years, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee has been on the frontlines of the fight for civil rights in our community. We deploy the best legal talent, we tackle the tough cases, we fight, and we win.
Our work is as important today as it has ever been. Through your support, you can play a role in creating justice for thousands of marginalized members of our community. Together, we will dismantle injustice and pursue lasting change.
Join us! Donate & subscribe: https://www.washlaw.org/support-us
Volunteer with us: https://www.washlaw.org/get-involved/
For more information, contact Gregg Kelley at Gregg_Kelley@washlaw.org
About Us
The Legal Forum is a nonprofit news service for the Washington area's legal community that also offers attorney job listings as well as amicus briefs and grant information for charitable organizations. If you have questions, please Contact Us
Letters to the Editor
D.C. in Brief
D.C. Mayor’s Trip to Qatar
Investigated by Justice Dept.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s 2023 trip to Qatar is being investigated by the Justice Department but the mayor so far is not accused of wrongdoing, according to law enforcement sources.
“Mayor Bowser is not under investigation, nor is she the target of any investigation,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement.
Bowser traveled to Qatar with four staff members in 2023 to discuss economic development with Qatari officials. The trip was subsidized by Qatar’s government.
The New York Times reported last week that the Justice Department’s public integrity section was investigating possible bribery and violations of campaign finance laws related to the trip.
Bowser held a news conference after the report to say she is not the target of an investigation and has not been contacted by the Justice Department. “I have no explanation from federal officials about what happened,” she said.
The mayor’s office said at the time of the 2023 trip that it was intended to promote tourism to Washington and to spur investment in the local economy.
A statement from the mayor’s office last week offered a similar explanation.
“D.C. representatives regularly travel to promote Washington as a destination for investment and growth,” the statement said. “This regular work has helped bring investment, infrastructure, new business, new grocery stores, growth, and jobs to the District. In some cases, economic development funds are used for the business travel; in other cases, the host or organizer covers the expenses. All proper paperwork for this standard donation is on file.”
Federal law prohibits federal and District of Columbia employees from accepting gifts from foreign countries unless they follow strict guidelines.
Justice Dept. Seeks Indictment
Of Former CIA Director Brennan
The Justice Department is preparing grand jury subpoenas to indict former CIA Director John Brennan, according to at least two news outlets quoting undisclosed sources.
The indictment is reportedly based on accusations that Brennan lied to Congress as it investigated Russian influence in the 2016 election of President Donald Trump.
An indictment of Brennan could create the image that another critic of the president is facing revenge criminal charges.
Others are former FBI Director James B. Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and former National Security Advisor John R. Bolton.
Comey also is accused of lying to Congress about alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 election. James led a lawsuit against Trump on charges of falsifying business records. Bolton is charged with mishandling classified government documents.
Continue Reading
Legal Briefs
We Could Use Your Help
Thousands of DC residents need a lawyer, but can’t afford one. They could be illegally evicted from their homes, lose custody of their children, experience domestic violence, and more, all because they lack legal representation.
You could make a difference. By making a donation to the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, you will provide free, high-quality, zealous legal representation to low-income DC residents.
Your support could prevent homelessness, domestic violence, hunger, or family separation. In fact, if just 10 people who see this ad give $28 to Legal Aid, it will be enough to staff an experienced attorney at the courthouse for a day.
That way, DC residents like Keith King (pictured above) can get the legal representation they need to win their cases. As Mr. King put it, if it wasn’t for his Legal Aid lawyer, “I would have been homeless again.”
Here is the link to the Legal Aid website for donations: https://www.legalaiddc.org/donate-to-legal-aid/
For more information, contact Rob Pergament at Legal Aid at rpergament@legalaiddc.org