Alina Habba, Donald Trump’s lawyer, is being mocked by legal experts over a “nonsense” filing.
The E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case
Habba represented Trump in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, and now she’s questioning District Judge Lewis Kaplan’s impartiality — and legal experts think it’s ridiculous.
A Mentorship Relationship
According to Salon, Judge Kaplan and Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan — who are not related — worked together in the 1990s. An anonymous individual, who claimed to be a partner at the same firm, informed the New York Post that the mentorship relationship between the pair was “insane.”
A New Trial
Habba utilized this information to argue that an undisclosed conflict of interest existed, advocating for a new trial.
Alina Habba’s Words
Habba wrote: “If Your Honor truly worked with Ms. Kaplan in any capacity — especially if there was a mentor/mentee relationship — that fact should have been disclosed before any case involving these parties was permitted to proceed forward.”
Another Conflict of Interest
Habba asked for more information about the relationship. Moreover, she claimed that Shawn Crowley, Carroll’s other attorney, was also a conflict of interest because he used to work as a clerk for Judge Kaplan.
A Legal Expert’s Opinion
According to Elie Honig, a legal analyst, Habba’s assertion was “a bogus motion by the Trump team.” He also pointed out that more experienced attorneys often mentor newer ones.
Elie Honig’s Words
“There’s nothing there. Every judge in that courthouse knows, socializes with, has worked with, sometimes maybe mentored, dozens, hundreds of attorneys in this city,” Honig said.
Not a Conflict of Interest
He continued: “I used to practice in that courthouse in front of judges who used to be my colleagues, my supervisors. If anything, they were tougher on me as a result of it. That is not enough for a conflict of interest.”
A “Nonsense” Filing
Other experts took to social media to share their views, including former federal prosecutor Daniel R. Alonso, who referred to Habba’s filing as “nonsense.”
Daniel R. Alonso’s Words
“[A] lawyer would have to be an idiot not to know that the judge and Ms. Kaplan were at the same firm. Knock it off,” Alonso said.
Habba’s Previous Blunders
Even in this specific trial, this is far from the first time Habba’s been criticized and mocked as a lawyer. She once seemingly referred to documents that hadn’t been formally presented as evidence. Judge Kaplan responded by calling for a recess in the proceedings to allow her time to “refresh” her memory on the proper handling of the situation.
Taking a Break
“No, we are not going to read out loud a document not yet in evidence. We are going to take a break here, and you’re going to refresh your memory about how you get a document into evidence,” he said.
Another Embarrassing Moment
Habba also endured an embarrassing moment after Judge Kaplan was annoyed by “a ridiculous motion for mistrial” following Caroll’s lawyer’s objection to Habba’s questioning. “Denied, and the jury will disregard everything Miss Habba just said,” Kaplan responded bluntly.
Pretend She’s Not There
Following the incident, comedian Seth Meyers mocked Habba: “[She is] so bad at this the judge is basically telling the jury, ‘Just pretend she’s not here.’ The judge is talking about her the way you talk to your kids about the weird guy on the subway.”
Mocked Once Again
When Trump wanted to pause the trial so he could attend his mother-in-law’s funeral, Habba was mocked once again for her reaction to Judge Kaplan’s denial of the request.
I Don’t Like Being Spoken to That Way
“I don’t like to be spoken to that way, and we’re going to be here for several days. I’m not going to speak to Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan like that. I will not speak to you like that. I’m asking Your Honor to please refrain from speaking to me in that manner,” Habba told the judge.
A Scene From Legally Blonde
Joyce Vance, former U.S. attorney for the northern district of Alabama, compared Habba’s reaction to a scene from Legally Blonde: “This is a scene from Legally Blonde, right? There are ways to do this but it’s not, ‘Oh judge this is Mean Girls in high school, and I’m going to out-mean you.'”
No Crying in Baseball
When asked about whether she personally would tell a judge she doesn’t like to be spoken to in a certain way, Vance said: “No, I would never say that in court. There is no crying in baseball.”
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