Why Does the ABA Journal Neuter A Good Story?

So the ABA Journal has this article about the New Hampshire guy who failed the bar 7 times, was mostly unemployed for 20 years, and has a rather pompous attitude about not paying his 30k-turned-140k student loan debt. (See JJD's coverage here.)

The ABA Journal sums up part of his story this way:

In addition to concerns about criminal charges and a lack of candor [the applicant had significant debt issues].

"Concerns about criminal charges?" Oh, pull up a chair or read the actual opinion yourself.

When questioned about his criminal record, the applicant stated that he lacked mens rea for each of his nine convictions. With respect to the reckless conduct conviction based on his “pretending to be a robber,” the applicant explained, “I was on SSI for six months directly following that incident, so that alone would demonstrate no mens rea. But supplemental to that was the fact that it happened on April Fool’s Day. It was a bad joke. I’d say those would be the two reasons.” At a previous interview, the applicant had also discussed the incident. At that time, the applicant told the interviewer that he “was writing a book at the time and wanted to see what the store clerk’s reaction would be when he showed her a knife with a blade between six and seven inches in length.”

When questioned about his six convictions for violating a restraining order, the applicant asserted that he had been “framed.” As evidence of this, he produced a motion to dismiss the restraining order . . . However, the applicant admitted that he had written the motion to dismiss and had the complainant sign it. He was convicted of having violated the terms of the restraining order by sending her copies of motions. At the Committee hearing, he admitted that he had violated the restraining order in several ways:

“I had tried to call her. I had tried to call a friend. I was within 1,000 feet of her house.” However, he asserted, ["]I didn’t have the mens rea because I believe that she – it may sound fantastic, but she had told me the last time that she was being held in her house, locked up, her keys were being – had been taken, her money was taken, her purse, whatever, so in that sense, I lacked a mens rea because I was trying to see what was going on, to see if she was being held there.["]

The record does not reflect any statement by the defendant concerning his 2004 DWI conviction.

Christ, wouldn't you love to hear his explanation for the DWI?

I know we're all worried about student loan amounts, but forget that on this one; even if this guy were independently wealthy, any state that lets him practice law needs to be kicked out of the union.

$140k in debt is nothing. Throw an orange in a law school and you'll hit ten people with as uch or more. Heck, neither is taking 20 years off from the workforce. Ride public transportation and do a survey.

Having six convictions for breaking a restraining order and claiming it's because the women told you she was imprisoned and you weren't bright enough to call the police? Pretending to be a robber on April Fool's Day because you're supposedly writing a book, and then using being on SSI as an excuse for your criminal behavior? Making a hash of mens rea (or thinking that your bar application hearing is a good time to bring it up) while arguing that you're fit to practice law?

That? That's gold right there. Take note, ABA Journal. Let's hope he's admitted in Canada or something so he can do whatever law school birthed his sorry ass proud.