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17 September 2021 / Michael Zander KC
Issue: 7948 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Trouble for the Trump lawyers

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Lawyers for Trump abused the judicial process: Michael Zander heralds the words that capture a memorable judgment
  • In August, US District Judge Linda Parker ruled against lawyers for former president Donald Trump for bringing a case that sought to overturn his clear election defeat last November in Michigan.

‘This lawsuit represents a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process’ were the first words of US District Judge Linda Parker’s 110-page opinion in proceedings successfully brought by the governor of Michigan and the city of Detroit against nine lawyers for the former President Trump. They sought sanctions and costs against the lawyers for bringing a case that sought to overturn Trump’s clear election defeat last November in Michigan.

The judge referred the nine senior lawyers to their respective Bar Associations for potential disbarment, (unusually) ordered them to pay the state and the city’s costs—and, for good measure, required that they undergo 12 hours of legal education on pleading and election law. Her careful and impressive judgment looks appeal-proof.

The judgment

Her

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NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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