He’s Calling It…
“You guys have been awfully good to me and my family. Thank you,” Chris Darden expresses. “I am on my way to appear for the last time in People v. Holder. I filed a Motion to Withdraw from the case. I thought I should tell you, my friends, first & before anyone else.”
“As for my reasons for withdrawing I don’t know whether I will disclose them later or not. I only know that as a lawyer it is my duty to protect the rights of my clients even in the face of threats or angry mobs. This is the silent solemn oath we took as defense counsel. This is the legacy made for me and all of us who practice as defense counsel in the criminal courts.”
“But allow me to say this,” Chris Darden continues, “after centuries of a history of black men hung from trees without trial, or after the thousands of cases of black men tried, convicted and executed without counsel; after Gideon v. Wainwright & Powell v. Alabama; I cannot understand why in 2019 some people would deny a black man his 6th Amendment right to counsel of his choice. Or why defending such a man should invite threats not only against me but against my children too.”
