Judicial Notice (01.11.26): Who’s Your Lawyer?

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The first week back after the winter break is always tough for me (and many of you, I’m guessing). I made it through—and managed to publish a new Supreme Court clerk hiring roundup, which always generates keen reader interest—but I’m still playing catch-up. And I’m also suffering from a cold, which is par for the course when you have two school-age kids. Hopefully I’ll be in a better place in a week’s time.

A highlight of my week was joining David French to record an episode of Advisory Opinions, which aired on Tuesday. We discussed the legality of U.S. operations in Venezuela, including the capture of President Nicolás Maduro—a topic that continues to loom large in legal news, to which we now turn.

Lawyers of the Week: Barry Pollack and Bruce Fein.

Given my beat, one of the first questions that came to mind when I heard about Maduro’s indictment on drug-trafficking charges was this: who would be defending him? As of now, the answer to that question is—bizarrely enough—somewhat unclear.

At Maduro’s arraignment on Monday—where he pleaded not guilty, described himself as a “prisoner of war,” and challenged the legality of his capture—he was represented by one of the nation’s top trial lawyers, Barry S. Pollack of Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler. Although not as flashy as certain other defense lawyers, Pollack “is known for handling cases that span years—and winning,” according to The Wall Street Journal (gift link). He possesses “vast experience in both criminal and international law,” as noted by Business Insider—some of it obtained from representing Julian Assange of WikiLeaks fame (or infamy), Pollack’s most notorious client to date.

On Tuesday, Bruce Fein—a high-ranking official at the U.S. Department of Justice during the Reagan administration, and another seasoned attorney with expertise in international law—filed an appearance in the case. Standing alone, that wasn’t shocking; it’s not uncommon for defendants in high-profile cases to retain multiple lawyers and law firms.

But