Liveblogging the O'Brien trial: The defence rests – eventually. (We hope.)

By kadyomalley - Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 9:15 AM - 5 Comments

As promised/threatened, ITQ will be back in Courtroom 36 this morning for closing arguments.  The show gets underway at 9:30 a.m. — yes, that’s half an hour earlier than usual, but Michael Edelson practically pinky swore that he’d be able to finish up today if we started bright and early, in which case it will totally be worth it. Not that we’re not enjoying The Trial of Terry Kilrea, but brevity, as they say, is the soul of wit. (Why do lawyers never seem to believe ITQ when she says that?)

As usual, you can get all the latest news from the Ottawa Citizen and CBC Ottawa, and be sure to follow Colleague McGregor’s twitterfeed.  (For yesterday’s liveblog, click here, and ITQ’s full coverage is available in convenient reverse chronological order here.)

9:20:44 AM
Greetings, fellow masochists! I’m currently sitting outside the courtroom – on the floor, in fact – powering up the BlackBerry on the only outlet available, which is conveniently located right by the elevators – listening to a bevy of O’Brien trial regulars chat about either a) the summer television season or b) how fantastic the mayor is; it’s honestly nearly impossible to tell which. The courtroom is still locked, but as soon as it opens up, I’ll be heading inside to stake out a spot near a more sensibly located power supply. (And yes, I should really remember to recharge overnight — in every sense of the word — but sometimes, I get flaky.)

9:28:20 AM
And we’re in! In what has become known as Bloggers’ Row, in fact — which means me and Colleague McGregor, who is currently on a tirade about hashtags and the O’Brien trial. Short version: Hell to the no – his twitter name *is* his hashtag. In case anyone was wondering.

9:36:17 AM
And we’re off to the races!

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And now, back to your regularly scheduled mayoral bribery trial liveblogging!

By kadyomalley - Monday, July 6, 2009 at 9:30 AM - 12 Comments

Yes, ITQ is headed back to the Ottawa courthouse this morning for what could turn out to be the first of several days devoted to the defence of Larry O’Brien after the judge rejected the argument that Ottawa’s mayor-in-limbo can’t possibly have broken the law because even if he had offered an appointment to a rival candidate — not that he’s admitting he did any such thing, mind you —  well, that’s just politics, and not a potentially criminal offence.  Yeah, the judge didn’t think much of that line of reasoning either, as it turned out.

Meanwhile, there’s much speculation over whether O’Brien himself will take the stand, but there’s also the distinct possibility that Team Larry will elect — no pun intended — to go straight to closing arguments, and take a pass on that whole witness-calling evidence-presenting stage of the proceedings. We won’t know until today’s hearing gets underway at around 10am, so be sure to check back  for complete coverage, ITQ-style.

For ITQ’s past forays into the wonderful world of local politics gone wild, click here. For full background info, check out the Ottawa Citizen and CBC Ottawa.

10:06:29 AM
Good morning, fans of desperation-inspired summertime liveblogging, and welcome to today’s installment of Law and Order: City Politics Unit, and most profound and sincere apologies for being so late with the first update of the day — I was all set to post a cute little scenesetter when I accidentally clicked on a link in an email, and — well, anyone who has ever tried to use WordPress on a BlackBerry is now shaking their head in silent sympathy. (Dear RIM. Any chance you guys can do something about that? Love, ITQ.)

Anyway, as it turns out we may not even get around to hearing the witness(es) for the defence, if any — apparently undaunted by their lack of success last time around, the rumour is that Team Larry lead counsel Michael Edelson may have *another* directed verdict motion up his sleeve, which means we’ll have to hear arguments on that before getting down to mayor-defending business.

Right now, though, we’re all sort of wondering what’s taking so long, since proceedings were supposed to get underway fifteen minutes ago. I’ll keep you all posted. Oh, and the mayor is here, in a dashingly summery suit. He looks entirely non-nonplussed, but then, he always does.

10:16:11 AM
And — here we go. All rise!

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Meanwhile, back in courtroom 36 … the Larry O'Brien Show will go on!

By kadyomalley - Friday, June 26, 2009 at 3:26 PM - 2 Comments

That is, unless Team Larry’s lawyers have another plot twist in store for fans of Ottawa’s smash hit municapolitical reality show thriller:

Mayor Larry O’Brien’s criminal trial will continue, after Justice Douglas Cunningham ruled Friday afternoon that it would be against the law to offer a political opponent a job in exchange for dropping out of an election campaign.

ITQ will be back on liveblogging duty when/if the trial resumes on July 6. In the meantime, follow all the action via Hot Room Colleague McGregor’s indispensible twitterfeed.

In defence of patronage: Liveblogging the O'Brien Trial

By kadyomalley - Monday, June 8, 2009 at 9:30 AM - 18 Comments

Seriously, y’all, this is going to be fun, so check back at 10am for all the legal wrangling — and, depending on what the judge decides, what could be a fascinating morning of political philosophizing.

Will it be “the end of the political world as we know it”, as predicted by the Ottawa Citizen – or at least its headline-writer — or just another day of procedural back-and-forthing in Courtroom 36? Tune in at 10am to find out.

9:50:18 AM Greetings, fans of the metapolitics of persuasion! After a chaotic start to the day – no, really, I know I *always* say that, but this was truly exceptional, even by ITQ standards; at one point, I had berries in both hands and my ipod clenched in my teeth *while crossing the street* (and thanks to all those indulgent downtown drivers who didn’t mow me down like I no doubt deserved).

Anyway, we’re here in Courtroom 36 – we being the media, Team Larry, and Vic Toews’ doppelganger – waiting for — wait, let me check with my colleagues to find out *exactly* what we’re waiting for; I’m not sure if the judge will rule right away on whether to let the defence go forward with the directed verdict motion, or if we’ll hear thrilling legal arguments pro and con before we get to the main event. The star witness – David Mitchell, president of the Public Policy Forum – is here, so Team Larry is ready to go.

9:57:11 AM
And here we go!

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Patronage: It's like a stimulas package for democracy: Liveblogging the O'Brien trial (PM session)

By kadyomalley - Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 1:08 PM - 4 Comments

The fun starts up again at around 2 p.m.

In the meantime, go here for ITQ’s liveblog of this morning’s proceedings.

1:35:46 PM
Welcome, fans of unexpected motions for directed verdicts – or, at least, the liveblogging thereof! Events took a dramatic turn this morning – dramatic, at least, compared to the endless lines of questioning about what date so-and-so had lunch at the Metropolitan with someone else – when Team Larry shocked the courtroom – really, not just the occasionally-surprised-by-the-obvious ITQ – by giving notice that they’d be filing a motion for a directed verdict arguing that even if the Crown *did* prove its case beyond a reaonable doubt, the judge should nevertheless acquit, because the anti-corruption laws were never meant to cover patronage appointments, which are an essential tool that keeps our democracy flourishing like a rose. Check the liveblog for the morning session for all the details – oh, and before I forget, my apologies to David Pacioccio, the lawyer (and university professor) who made the case for the putative DV, and is not, in fact, Michael Edelson, as originally reported by ITQ. What can I say – they really *do* all look alike from the back and in robes.

Anyway, now you’re all caught up – so check back at 2:15 for the next thrilling installment.

2:03:24 PM
Well, I’m back in the courtroom — early, of course, since you never know when there might be a sudden flood of onlookers, and a corresponding shortage of seats. So far, though, it’s just me, Colleague McG, a random member of the public stuck between us who is becoming visibly unsettled by our chatter, and various Larryistas.

Wait, as usual, as I was typing, the landscape changed, and suddenly the room filled up completely. Such is the plight of the liveblogger; wait too long to hit “update post” and you fall hopelessly behind the times.

2:09:37 PM
And we’re back!

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Hey, at least it beats sitting through QP these days: Liveblogging the O'Brien trial — again.

By kadyomalley - Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 7:56 AM - 5 Comments

That’s right, ITQ will be back in Courtroom 36 for what may be the last full day of testimony in Ottawa’s very own Trial Of The Half-Decade At The Very Least, lured off the Hill for the day by what could be her last chance ever to liveblog legendary Conservative fixer, O’Brien crony and recently self-outed voice of sanity on drug policy John Reynolds.

Hey, we showed up for Dave Penner — why stop now, just when we’re getting to the good part?

A wee bit of background, for those not following every labyrinthine twist and turn in the case: According to Terry Kilrea, it was Reynolds who told O’Brien to tell John Baird — yes, I think we’re up to fourth hand hearsay at this point, which should give you some idea of how confusing the testimony can get at times —  that Kilrea was “in the queue”  for a federal appointment. Reynolds, however, has said he has no recollection of that conversation. In an interview with the Ottawa Citizen earlier this year, he described the case against his mayoral buddy as “hogwash”.

Also on the stand today: Conservative pollster Dmitri Pantazopoulos, who was allegedly was one of the lead emissaries between the O’Brien and Kilrea camps, armed with polling numbers that suggested he had no chance of winning the race; according to Kilrea, he also told him he was aware of the parole board offer, but warned that it was “too hot to handle” during the election. Pantazopolous, for his part, has vociferously denied Kilrea’s claims and will likely do so again when he takes the stand today.

For more on the trial, check out the Ottawa Citizen and CBC Ottawa, and be sure to follow the obrientrial twitter feed for fellow Hot Room denizen Glen McGregor’s minute-by-minute bulletins.

The show starts at 10am, so check back then for full liveblogging coverage.

9:43:33 AM
Good morning, fans of truth, justice and internecine local Conservative chaos! ITQ is back in her backrow seat in Courtroom 36, which is filling up fast. The mayor isn’t here yet — or should he be referred to as “The Accused” for the duration of the trial? — but his perennially cheery media handler Barry McLoughlin is on the scene, as is the usual contingent of reporters — some strictly city by persuasion, others – like me and Colleague McGregor – refugees from the Hill. Actually, now that I look around, there’s a fairly sizeable press gallery presence. CTV’s Rosie Thompson is back for the day — we’ve already high-fived each other over the imminent return of the Oliphant show, which gets back underway tomorrow — as is Richard Cleroux. And just as I was typing that up, the mayor slipped in — well, sauntered, really; a little more swing and he’ll hit the swagger threshold. I wonder how he thinks it’s going so far?

9:53:12 AM
Did I mention that the crown – Scott Hutchinson – appears to be sporting the most earnestly-framed glasses he could find in order to look like a veteran,world-weary lawyer?

9:57:26 AM
And – here we go — Dimitri Pantazopolous is on the stand, looking — actually, kind of like he doesn’t quite believe this is happening to him.

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In Ottawa, all politics is federal: Liveblogging the Larry O'Brien trial for a day

By kadyomalley - Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at 9:30 AM - 4 Comments

Up til now, ITQ had been able to resist the siren song of the Larry O’Brien trial. But with so many Hill staffers — and the occasional minister — turning up on the witness list, not to mention the historic ruling by the judge to allow journalists to liveblog and twitter from the courtroom — it was inevitable that she would eventually be lured into the maw. Anyway, with PMO appointments czar Dave Penner slated to testify this afternoon, it turns out that today’s the day that ITQ goes hyperlocal.

Also scheduled to testify today: local Conservative fundraiser Thom Bennett and Nepean-Carleton Progressive Conservative MP Lisa MacLeod. The action gets underway at 10am today, so check back for full liveblogging coverage, ITQ-style, although I should note that I’m not sure whether I’ll inflict minute-by-minute updates of the voir dire arguments on my unsuspecting readers. I’m not a monster, after all. But be sure to check out Hot Room Colleague Glen McGregor’s twitter feed, too, since he’ll have no such compunction

Oh, and if you haven’t been following our made-for-a-cheap-Canadian-knockoff-of-Law-and-Order political melodrama, drop by the Ottawa Citizen and CBC Ottawa for all the background info. (Note: Links shamelessly plundered from ZeroMeansZero, Ottawa’s one-stop shop for scurrilous and unsubstantiated gossip about City Hall, which, more often than not, turns out to be pretty much dead on accurate.)

Good morning, local city governance enthusiasts and/or fans of PMO appointment overlord Dave Penner!

This is ITQ reporting live from a surprisingly sparsely populated Courtroom 36, which is tucked away on the third floor of the historic Ottawa courthouse. I’ve staked out a prime viewing spot at the very back of the room – which is, I guess, the officially designated renegade realtime media section – beside the already-linked Colleague McGregor, who is tapping away furiously on his Mac.

Also on the scene when ITQ arrived was the Oliphant-flashback-inducing Barry McLoughlin, who is handling media relations for the mayor. Who, incidentally, is here too – the mayor, that is. He nodded vaguely but benevolently in our direction while striding to his reserved-sign demarked seat.

I’m not sure whether this court – which is presided over by Judge Cunningham, for future reference. – is run on the same to-the-second timeline as the inquiry — by my watch (or, in this case, timestamp), it seems like we should have started already. I’ll keep you posted, tho. Gosh, this is already more fun than hanging around the caucus room.
10:02:06 AM
Okay, so apparently, the judge has been “delayed”, hence the lack of all-rising. I hope this is a regular occurence, or I might start to worry that ITQ’s very presence in a courtroom augurs misfortune for the judge. There was that knee incident with Oliphant, after all.

10:06:02 AM
And – here we go!

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