Interlude 9: More Light on Mike Moity's Outrageous Disbarment

Magistrate Judge Methvin joined the fray on R. Michael Moity Jr.'s outrageous disbarment. Judge Methvin posted on "Legal Blog Watch" (http://tinyurl.com/o9yw2k):

I am the magistrate judge in question, Mr. Roberts, and find it quite amazing that you feel comfortable announcing with confidence, not knowing anything about her, that my former law clerk, Ms. Blanke, "had this snarky and royal character and this is why she took notes and then revenge." Ms. Blanke, who now works as a law clerk to a district judge, is one of the most polite, hardworking and dedicated lawyers I know. At the time of this incident, she had worked for me for eight years, and if you ask the members of the Lafayette bar about her, you will hear that she is uniformly liked and respected, and that her attitude to the bar is the antithesis of "snarky" or "royal." As a federal magistrate judge, I consider myself neither a royal nor a bureaucrat, but a public servant - and that is the attitude I work to instill in my staff. Furthermore, this blog does not fully describe the extent and tone of the conversation in question, nor the nature of the previous disciplinary offenses which came to light in the course of court hearings. For that, you will need to read the full, published record. As for Ms. Blanke's desire for revenge, you should know that after the phone call, Ms. Blanke came to my office visibly shaking, upset, and sick to her stomach. She questioned over and over whether she had done something wrong to make the conversation go so awry. Far from relishing her "revenge," she lost sleep for several weeks afterward, and found the ensuing hearings quite painful. It is a shame that your personal experience has left you so bitter and biased that you are willing to engage in gross generalizations which demean all federal judges and their staffs. Mildred E. Methvin

Having reviewed the record, I found despicable Judge Methvin's conduct, not Attorney Moity's. I posted:

Judge Methvin, you are no better than the snarling pack of your supporters, who think nothing more is required to disbar an attorney than to accumulate vague attacks on his character. You would be respondent before a fair disciplinary panel for willfully prejudicing a federal court. You told the court of instances where you had "heard" Mr. Moity had been rude to women, and, in that, you exploited your position unfairly to further your feminist agenda. You repeat the same misconduct here when you dwell on your your clerk's distress, which one can only hope expresses her sense of guilt. Eight years a law clerk? She obviously lacks the mental toughness to practice law.

Former law clerk Bob Roberts, the immediate target of Judge Methvin's post, highlighted the federal judiciary's arrogance:

I clerked for a federal court judge. They are the most pompous people I have ever met and can infect the clerks who become royal. My judge also taught at 2 law schools and used these to hire externs and clerks and from these his girlfriends. The pool of clerks and externs was basically his harem. He hires nearly all young pretty girls. He was known to be sleeping with one of the clerks and his marriage had earlier been broken up because his wife caught him with another clerk. He uses his position to get sex. Despite this, the judge imagines himself to be a pillar of integrity and expects an obsequious manner from everyone. And so did nearly all the judges and circuit court judges I met. The clerks basically defined snarky. Mr. Moity's clerk had this snarky and royal character and this is why she took notes and then revenge.

An an apt reply to Judge Methvin was posted anonymously:

Judge Methvin: I think bob should be sanctioned for his blog comments.