• Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Under the proposed plea agreement and diversion agreement, Biden would plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and would be able to avoid punishment on a felony gun charge if he stayed out of trouble for two years. But at a tense court hearing, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika questioned the constitutionality of the diversion agreement and refused to sign off on the deal, at least for now. Lawyers are due back in court in several weeks to revisit the issue.

    Someone remind me who appointed that judge.

    • MishMash@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Definitely a Trump appointed judge, but my understanding is this was more on the attorneys not understanding what the agreement was and the Judge discovering while doing their due diligence on the plea deal. Hunter’s attorneys are likely to blame here.

    • Justice@lemmygrad.ml
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      1 year ago

      From what I’ve heard/read (this story is so fucking worthless. If we’re going after rich nepo kids Hunter is on that list but not the top. It definitely doesn’t deserve this much attention…) the judge was, in effect, actually helping Hunter here. The law he was agreeing to plea guilty to in order to get this agreement is (according to this judge) untested and possibly unconstitutional. Her “concern” was he might be pleading guilty and sentenced and then held to that agreement (legally speaking) even if that law is thrown out. She wants to make sure Hunter understands if the law is thrown out he is still legally required to abide by any agreements made using that law… but the judge is also kind of recognizing that this sets up a situation where Hunter or the court are entering into an agreement willingly around a law they both don’t think will stand for much longer… something like that. Not a lawyer, etc.

      Long story short, he’s probably still gonna get a light or favorable sentence compared to the minimums/what was charged/what evidence that exists of his crimes. It might even be more favorable. Hard to tell. (most of his crimes that can be proven are drug usage which should not be a crime which is why I don’t really care. Yes he obviously received money, jobs, perks based on his last name but in comparison to like Jared Kushner… I mean…)

    • vezrien@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Appointed by Trump, but Biden has considered her a potential candidate for a Federal judgeship. Also there’s this:

      “In 2023, Noreika presided over a case involving John Paul Mac Isaac. Noreika ruled against Mac Isaac, who was Hunter Biden’s laptop repairman, in his defamation lawsuit against CNN, Politico, and Hunter Biden.[8][9]”

  • DirkMcCallahan@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Gotta love how conservatives simultaneously:

    1. Think Hunter Biden is a horrible criminal who deserves the maximum punishment for the crimes of tax evasion and illegal gun ownership
    2. Want to defund the IRS and remove all barriers to owning a gun
    • sharpiemarker@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      It still annoys me that Hunter Biden news is allowed to be posted in the politics community.

      He’s a private citizen. He’s not an elected official. This is not politics news.

      • kryptonicus@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        As long as house republicans are holding multiple investigations into him and his business dealings and personal life, then this is politics.But I’m my opinion this plea deal was sabotaged by political interference for the purpose of keeping Hunter Biden in the news as long as possible. For political purposes.

        I absolutely agree that this shouldn’t involve politics, as the younger Biden has made no effort to insert himself in political matters. But at the same time, I don’t think republicans should be able to do what they’re doing without the press shining a light on it.

    • ashok36@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      What’s the saying?

      “If they didn’t have double standards, they wouldn’t have standards at all.”

      Republicans have no policies or positions anymore. They’re fully bought and paid for by oligarchs both foreign and domestic. They don’t care about anything other than making sure their assets and the assets of their benefactors increase as ever higher rates.