tnt said:
Again what evidence exists he was expelled??? (other than an attempt by Paoli to get "confidential" information to the public in a PR attempt? He's a great attorney but criminal defense? That ship needs (and has) a different driver.) If JJ was expelled and the decision held up in the time frames specified, he'd be gone. Most of this is supposition on Egriz.
Dean, I'll let you finish the semester and then you leave, I'm the final authority, Couture is gone
Dave is being assisted in this trial by Kirsten Pabst Lacroix, the former county attorney and Van Valkenburg's old heir apparent. Kirsten is very respected in the legal community and a very capable trial attorney. I think a lot of people were questioning JJ's pick of Paoli for this trial as Dave doesn't normally practice criminal defense. With Lacroix on board, this changes everything.
I know a lot people in the criminal defense community in Missoula and most, if not all, feel JJ has an excellent chance at acquittal. While the Student Conduct Code presents another challenge to JJ's return, the BoR (via Clay Christian) has already called into the question the Code's constitutionality. This is why JJ has been allowed to continue taking classes at the University in spite of his "conviction" of violating the Conduct Code. Suffice to say, the BoR is very nervous at the mountain of litigation coming their way in the event of a not guilty verdict. While all of this by no means ensures JJ's return, the prospect is much brighter than it once seemed.