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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Free Aaron Walker! Update: Aaron let go but seeking assistance...

Aaron Walker is reportedly still in custody.  
Probably wise Robert Stacy McCain 
remains at an undisclosed location...
Just spoke to a source who confirms that witnesses saw Walker led out of the courtroom in handcuffs. Ali Akbar, president of the National Bloggers Club, Tweets:
Will know more on Aaron’s situation at 3:30/4:30pm.
The National Bloggers Club has created KimberlinFiles.org to help call attention to the case and to enable “supporters to make financial donations to a relief fund as a show of support.”
More at The Blaze.
Judge Vaughan had read up on the matter, knew Kimberlin’s history of felony convictions, but clearly was technically ignorant of even basic facts about what Twitter is, in one instance point saying “He Googled you 500,000 times” through the Tubes or whatever. The Judge had identified himself, earlier, as being “of the Royal Typewriter Generation,” and at another point, when confronted with the voluminous material from both sides, asked “don’t people have jobs, who reads this stuff?”
Soopermexican and @OlympiaPress has more:
For the Judge’s faults, he really did try to let Walker make his case. When Walker was able to question Kimberlin–not about everything, but merely the facts that had occurred in the last 30 days (which is all that’s relevant in a Peace Order Hearing),it became clear that Kimberlin would unravel under any kind of competent examination. The guy’s story changed 3 times in 5 minutes. First it was that Walker had issued 14k tweets against him–which the Judge assumed were to Kimberlin’s account, and by Walker. Then it was 54 pages of 10 tweets each actually by Walker. Then it was 15k tweets about Muslims or something. 
Walker was also able to introduce for the record–again, Peace Order, it’s only about the last 30 days–Kimberlin’s convictions for bombings from I guess 1980, his revocation of parole in 1998, and even something where Kimberlin was convicted of perjury in 1973… ish. Then, when it came to actual convictions, there was one moment when Kimberlin came up with a defense about the judge being convicted of bribery, so he didn’t feel that those particular verdicts should be discussed, but that turned out to be an unrelated civil matter, and Judge Vaughan then insisted that the convictions remained in the record. 
But, Walker didn’t press the credibility of Kimberlin enough. He was too easily sidetracked by the latter’s machinations, and every time Walker veered off, the Judge got madder.
Here is the Peace Order that Aaron Walker was found to have violated.   Brett Kimberlin has things turned around.  This story is breaking and it is unclear what Aaron Walker was arrested for.  Possibly a judge who did not realize that commentator comments are not attributable to a blog.  Possibly contempt of court.  More updates to come.

Popehat is right:  Don't go into court without competent legal counsel!
Professor Jacobson at Legal Insurrection gives the same sage advice.

I agree with Bob Belevedere this is an outrage.  Ironically this is the sort of thing that could prompt main stream media attention, a conservative blogger getting arrested.  Aaron Walker needs a competent civil rights/constitutional attorney admitted in Maryland and the federal courts to take this case on.  Here is a fund for donations (I am usually hesitant about linking to "fundraising funds" but this one I got via The Other McCain and Ali Akbar).

More links from Instapundit...

Update:
Aaron Walker arrested for contempt?  
Gateway Pundit reports Aaron Walker is free but seeking assistance...
DaTech Guy has links.
Sister Toldjah tells us...
Patterico has a more detailed analysis.
Instapundit too.
Volokh has more.   

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