Ep 270 — Attorney Accountability (feat. Akiva Cohen)
Summary
Host Liz Dye interviews Akiva Cohen, a board member of GLOW Law, a new watchdog organization documenting government attorneys' ethical violations. They discuss the erosion of DOJ integrity, the loss of judicial trust, and the need for accountability beyond partisan politics. Cohen explains how GLOW Law creates a public database of legal misconduct to deter future abuses, while also highlighting lawyers who refused to violate their oaths. The conversation concludes with a call for public involvement and severe legal consequences to restore the rule of law.
Topics discussed
Sponsor: Grow Therapy
The danger of finding crimes to fit defendants
Introduction: The future of the rule of law
Introducing Akiva Cohen and GLOW Law
Defining attorney duties of candor
Ethical failures vs. standing up for law
Case study: Erez Riveni and the Alien Enemies Act
Whistleblowing on court lies in real time
Documenting ethics without political bias
GLOW Law's goal: Public accountability
The cost of frivolous legal arguments
The presumption of regularity and DOJ trust
The necessity of playing fair in courts
Addressing the 'prosecutors are bad guys' critique
Economic impact of capricious justice
Sponsor: Kalshi
Sponsor: JCPenney and iHeartRadio
Sponsor: Resorts World New York City
Lack of federal consequences for rights violations
The dysfunction of the current DOJ
Moving beyond left vs. right politics
The need for a functioning society
Why clients struggle to evaluate lawyers
The harm of unaccountable legal representation
How GLOW Law documents primary sources
Specific case references and ethical triggers
Democratizing access to court filings
Sponsor: JCPenney and iHeartRadio
Sponsor: JCPenney and iHeartRadio
Sponsor: Asima
Addressing fears of endangerment for whistleblowers
The oath and responsibility of adult lawyers
The importance of truly public filings
Goal: Documenting all government lawyers
Gratitude for volunteer support
Why this documentation was not needed before
Reflections on Jeff Sessions and recusal
The shift from recusal to loyalty
Hollowing out the judiciary and hiring hacks
DOJ as a law firm for Trump
The danger of losing sight of past abuses
The Lindsay Halligan indictment story
Comparison to the first term and Mueller
Incompetence and the through-line to deportations
The failed attempt to charge James Comey
The strategy being used against Jack Smith
Predicting the next move against Smith
The need for a third founding
Structural barriers to constitutional change
The need for a mass movement
Bad faith actors and legal loopholes
Why the Biden administration's approach failed
The necessity of criminal consequences
The failure of previous guardrails
The role of state bar discipline
The high bar for attorney disbarment
Professional consequences for ethical violations
Career options for former DOJ lawyers
Spreading the word about legal abuses
The need for a massive political response
GLOW Law's funding and staffing needs
Volunteer roles for legal experts
The scale of documentation needed
Call to action: Volunteer or donate
Outro and subscription info
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