Why Won't The Lead Prop 8 Attorney Speak With The Press?

He just doesn't want you to hear him lisping.

How about the notion that some attorneys litigate in the courtroom, instead of in the press?

I quote Monica Lewinsky's lawyer, Plato Catcheris, standing outside the United States Attorney Office in Washington, D.C., in front of the world's media:

"I don't even admit that I'm here talking to you." And good day.

Huh, that's an interesting point. But looking at this from a public spin approach (which you must if you're talking about press conferences), if one side does it, it seems like the other side might feel compelled to, right? So maybe he's taking the high road?

My question is, what difference does it make what you say to the press? The only thing that counts is what goes on in court. And sometimes, you might not want the judge reading what you said in the morning papers.

But we all know lawyer's never take the high road.

Signed,
A Lawyer

Ooo. Bad grammar (lawyer's).

Here's what it looks like to me:

The pro-equality lawyers (that is, the anti-prop-8 lawyers) are better. They always have been. There's been a strategy on our side of effective litigation going back at least a decade, the culmination of which was the Supreme Court victory in 2008. This guy doesn't want to talk to the press because he's not as good at it as his opponents. Right now, his opponents are Olson and Boies (who are very very very good at spin); and for many years before them, our lawyers have outgunned theirs. Anything that he says will become an Achilles' heel.

Also, this particular court battle is relatively inconclusive, as it will either escalate to the US Supreme Court or become moot when we overturn Prop 8 via ballot. Blooms is right -- there's not much to gain on their side by talking to the press at this point: a fumbling nervous lawyer isn't going to help them win with either SCOTUS or the electorate. They'll be able to buy a better spokesman when the stakes matter more.