The DPR (Ross Ulbricht) appeal

[bitcoinlawstudent]

I just wanted to make a quick note about the Ross Ulbricht appeal. I watched the documentary Deep Web about year ago and became fascinated with the story, along with the legal implications, as I am a law student. I just wanted to say that I spent time reading any and every legal document about Ulbricht that I could get my hands on. I have access to LexisNexis and Westlaw so I can access just about every legal document from the case.

My conclusion on Ross Ulbricht's legal representation is ultimately this, it sucked. Ross Ulbricht's attorney was garbage. Ross Ulbricht's attorney, Joshua Dratel, did nothing more than increase his own standing in the public while hurting Ulbricht’s case/appeal. In one motion it was stated that Ulbricht “now moves this Court to suppress virtually all of the Government’s evidence.” Umm yaaaa, ok, good luck with that Dratel. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals is really going to take you serious now? Common, man. Are you even trying to get the decision reversed? Or are you playing the cliché “zealous advocate?” This is an appeals court Dratel is going up against, and he failed to be convincing. Ulbricht's attorney simply made sure that it looked like he was defending Ulbricht, he did little to actually articulate a legal reasoning about why the decision should be remanded... Also, don't even get me started on how he approached the sentencing, which was done by emotion and not legal facts. Judges only, or at least should only care about legal facts. Every law student and attorney should know that. Try to throw emotion at a judge and most the time it will be a Lebron James chase down block.

Now some of you reading this might be thinking I am just trying to take shots at his attorney, all in hindsight. And yes, I am aware his attorney graduate from Harvard Law and blah blah blah. But the truth is, all the legal motions/briefs/memos by Dratel was just sloppy. I understand lawyers are time crunched, but I am sure Dratel made enough $ off the Ulbricht's and donations to spend more time making actual legal connections that judges unanimously find convincing. There is a BIG difference between presenting to a jury and presenting to Circuit judges; which Ulbricht's attorney failed at both!

After I watched the Deep Web, I thought about writing an Appellate Brief for Ulbricht and sending it to his attorney to submit to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals… Should I have done so? What do you think?

[grabberfish]

Please do anything that might help. It is a travesty of justice.