Justice-Denied · Editorial cartoons
Cartoon 26 of 26
The Privilege Leaf Blower
Satire. Dialogue is imagined; the underlying rulings and records are linked below.
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Masthead: JUSTICE-DENIED | SATIRE
Series: DOCKET CLEANING
Title: THE PRIVILEGE LEAF BLOWER
Panel 1: THE REQUEST
Craig requests a closed REQUESTED MESSAGES folder beside a substantial EXISTING RECORD; the judge holds a leaf blower.
Craig: Can we get these messages?
Panel 2: DEC. 2021
The COMMON INTEREST nozzle blows the intact requested folder behind a PRIVILEGE barrier.
Judge Miller: Keep those out.
Panel 3: DEC. 2022
A RELEVANCE / BURDEN nozzle blows the intact requested folder into NO DISCOVERY while the privilege barrier is lowered; the existing record remains.
Judge Miller: Different reasons. Same result.
Panel 4: THE CLEAN SWEEP
Craig looks at the intact folder beyond the bench; both nozzles and the existing record remain visible.
Craig: The reason changed. The messages stayed out.
Footer:
SATIRE • IMAGINED SCENES AND DIALOGUE
Doc. 154, p. 13; Doc. 366, pp. 27–32.
Behind the cartoon
The December 2021 order broadly described joint-defendant conversations as privileged. The December 2022 order adopted a narrower account, then denied reconsideration using privilege predictions, relevance, burden, and proportionality. Requested messages remain intact, beside an existing record.
Underlying records
- Doc. 154, p. 13Doc. 154, p. 13; The December 2021 order broadly described joint-defendant conversations as privileged. The December 2022 order adopted a narrower account, then denied reconsideration using privilege predictions, relevance, burden, and proportionality. Requested messages remain intact, beside an existing record.
- Doc. 366, pp. 27–32Doc. 366, pp. 27–32; The December 2021 order broadly described joint-defendant conversations as privileged. The December 2022 order adopted a narrower account, then denied reconsideration using privilege predictions, relevance, burden, and proportionality. Requested messages remain intact, beside an existing record.
Docket Cleaning series. Cleaning equipment, scenes, and dialogue are imagined editorial satire. Court-page locators refer to original document pages.
More record detail
Stevenson v. Stevenson, Otter Tail County case 56-CV-20-2928. The December 2021 order broadly described joint-defendant conversations as privileged. The December 2022 order adopted a narrower account, then denied reconsideration using privilege predictions, relevance, burden, and proportionality. Requested messages remain intact, beside an existing record. Sources: Doc. 154, p. 13; Doc. 366, pp. 27–32.
