Federal Case
I am a “Philadelphia Lawyer”. I am proud of that and always tried a little bit more to be one. The phrase came out of the eighteenth century when Andrew Hamilton won such a huge case that he gave the term its first footing. In essence it came to mean a lawyer who knows the most minute and detailed parts of the law. In just about every reference source it means an exceptionally competent lawyer. For me it always seemed to conjure up additional adjectives like moral, ethical, fair and just. Most days of my career I have been proud by the term, but on some occasions, I have been let down.
Another phrase that dates me is “don’t make it a federal case”. This one was used more when I was growing up and making my way through law school. Everyone used it, often parents whose child may have been overly dramatic or even throwing a tantrum. Don’t waste my time with this. Don’t make a big deal over it. Grow up and suck it up, it’s just not a big enough deal.
Recently Philadelphia’s Third Circuit District Court tried prolife activist Mark Hauck for basically pushing a patient escort outside an abortion clinic. He had been there many times without charge but this time there was a push. Just one. The escort could have been mimicking a basketball player who gets pushed in a game and does a dramatic flop onto the court floor, just to make sure the referee saw it. Sometimes it works. Most times it does not. There is more to it according to both sides. The escort flaunted his senior age and Hauck and his son claimed the escort said something terrible to say in front of a kid, that made Hauck push the escort away from them. The Jury agreed with Hauck and his Philadelphia Lawyer, Fortunato N. Perri, Jr., a/k/a Fred Perri.
(Note to self: If you ever get arrested in Philly, get this lawyer to represent you.)
My problem is not based on pro-life or pro-abortion issues. I see this totally through a lawyer’s eyes. This trial should never have happened. It should never have been a Federal Case. If it had been a local case, and that’s very dubious, it would have been shunted down to private criminal complaints (in Philly) and there you do not get out unless you and your enemy (opposing party) compromise in some way. That is because those court administrators do NOT let these kinds of cases clog up the “Commonwealth versus” Court docket. That’s congested enough in every big city.
I am sick over the amount of time and financial costs of this show/case. Was the point the US Attorney’s office trying to make, really worth it? Was the heightened level of animosity worth it? Did it bring anyone closer together or at least not farther apart? Does the US Attorney’s office not have bigger fish to fry than this?
Obviously, the prosecutors were not thinking like Philadelphia Lawyers in this case. Perri is one and did an excellent job for his client, but he doesn’t come cheap. Another resource better used elsewhere. This should never have been a Federal Case.