Beat The Prosecution

Jon Katz

Welcome to Beat The Prosecution with Fairfax, Virginia criminal defense / DUI lawyer Jonathan Katz. Jon Katz believes in spreading the word of justice on this podcast, in court, and on his blog at https://katzjustice.com/blog, to regularly provide information and ideas for beating your prosecution. More information is available at https://BeatTheProsection.com and at (703)-383-1100.

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Top 10 Beat The Prosecution Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Beat The Prosecution episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Beat The Prosecution for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Beat The Prosecution episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Conscious Leader Deb Katz- Winning without negative reactivity

Beat The Prosecution

09/19/24 • 59 min

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In 2015, Fairfax criminal lawyer Jon Katz finished court earlier than expected, and beelined to the Mindful Leadership conference in Crystal City, Virginia, in part to meet speaker Roshi Joan Halifax. Snagging a ticket to this soldout event, Jon met Roshi Joan, and also sat mesmerized by speaker Jim Dethmer's (co-founder of the Conscious Leadership Group) talk about conscious leadership, and about the difference between leading from above the line (where one is open, curious, and not attacking) versus from below the line. This conscious leadership approach is fully addressed in The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp.
The challenges abound for criminal defense lawyers and their clients to get sidetracked by actually or apparently slinged mud, heartlessness, dehumanization efforts, underhandedness and prevarication from various quarters in the courthouse and beyond. Getting angry and misdirected is weakening. Smiling in the face of proverbial flying vomit and diarrhea -- when knowing the possibilities of sweet success that may be right around the corner -- is the powerful way to proceed.
Conscious Leadership's Deb Katz pulls no punches in addressing how she transitioned from years of proceeding as an unconscious leader to a conscious one. She talks about how it is possible to say f--k you from above the line, and how sweetness does not automatically put one above the line. Deb addresses how Conscious Leadership draws on numerous pre-existing approaches to leading in a beneficial way. She and Jon both benefit from the teachings and practices of Ho'oponopono, which is featured on a previous Beat The Prosecution podcast episode.
This conversation between Jon Katz and Deb Katz (same last name, but no close family connection) dives deep into transitioning into the conscious leadership approach.
The universal and Apple podcasts URL for this episode are at https://podcast.beattheprosecution.com/2293867/episodes/15777966
and https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beat-the-prosecution/id1721413675?i=1000669998168

This podcast with Fairfax, Virginia criminal / DUI lawyer Jon Katz is playable on all devices at podcast.BeatTheProsecution.com. For more information, visit https://BeatTheProsecution.com or contact us at [email protected], 703-383-1100 (calling), or 571-406-7268 (text). Hear our prior podcasts, at https://podcast.BeatTheProsecution.com/
If you like what you hear on our Beat the Prosecution podcast, please take a moment to post a review at our Apple podcasts page (with stars only, or else also with a comment) at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beat-the-prosecution/id1721413675

Developing peacefulness and compassion for winning in court and life - Jun Yasuda of Nipponzan Myohoji

Beat The Prosecution

08/13/24 • 57 min

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When Fairfax, Virginia criminal and DUI defense lawyer Jonathan Katz faces particularly challenging times in court, he often imagines that his peace teacher Jun Yasuda is to his right, his trial teacher Steve Rench is to his left, and his martial arts teacher is also right there. This Beat the Prosecution episode interviews Jon Katz's friend and peace mentor Jun Yasuda, who spearheaded making the Grafton, New York, Peace Pagoda a reality.https://www.graftonpeacepagoda.org (This peace pagoda is such an amazing place that Jon's friend's usually constantly overactive dog stood in quietness when first visiting the pagoda.)
Lama Surya Das has aptly pointed out that it is not enough to rage against violence if we do not also pursue peace within ourselves. Likewise, an effective criminal defense lawyer needs to find and develop internal peace so that anger, stress, and upset do not eat the lawyer alive; and so that the lawyer may think, see and hear clearly -- and show total compassion, teamwork and listening with their client -- on the road to pursuing the best defense.
Jun Yasuda is as tough as nails, having crisscrossed the nation on foot in even harsh climates, having fasted for peace and justice for days on end, and having set her own selfish interests aside for the greater good of humankind. She advocated for sanctuary in New York for American Indian Movement cofounder Dennis Banks when his sanctuary in California was cancelled. She dry fasted for a week for Mumia Abu-Jamal when he was still on death row. Jun-san's central prayer for peace -- drummed at a walking pace -- is Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo, which is the Odaimoku, the essence of the Lotus Sutra.
Jun-san briefly was in a lockup adjacent to Leonard Peltier's during the pendency of his trial where she went to support him. (Mr. Peltier's prosecutor ended up concluding that his prosecution and continued incarceration were and are unjust. https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/From-US-Attorney-James-Reynolds.pdf . His authoring appellate judge decades ago supported clemency for Peltier. https://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/download/Heaney.pdf )
Jun-san recognizes the importance of restorative justice as an alternative to the overgrown criminal justice system that she points out disproportionately incarcerates minorities and often uses inmates for free and cheap labor.
Jun Yasuda is a monastic with the Nipponzan Myohoji Nichiren Buddhist order. More about this remarkable woman, her strikingly serene peace pagoda in Grafton, NY, and her order's peace work is at https://www.graftonpeacepagoda.org .

Defending in criminal court by keeping one's eyes on the prize- Plowshares & Catholic Worker activist Mark Colville

Beat The Prosecution

11/13/24 • 65 min

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Fairfax criminal and DWI lawyer Jonathan Katz heard Abbie Hoffman's lawyer Gerald Lefcourt speak in 1991 about how Abbie had asked Gerry to keep Hoffman out of jail so that he could keep pursuing his agenda. At that moment, Jon wondered whether he had missed the boat on the days of defending activists. Nine years later, Jon teamed with Ramsey Clark to defend the Plowshares 4 at their 2000 criminal jury trial following their action against depleted uranium, and Ramsey mentioned there being plenty of interesting activists to defend when doing so for free.
Thanks to Plowshares and Catholic Worker activist Mark Colville of the Amistad Catholic Worker in New Haven for joining Jon in talking about his three Plowshares actions and resulting jury trials for two of them, and his Catholic Worker activities, including with Rosette Village.
Plowshares actions include admitting the defendants' actions, while arguing that the action should not be convicted any more than Underground Railroad activists should have been convicted. Mark presents great ideas for beating the prosecution through such approaches as keeping our eyes on the prize of winning no matter the seeming and actual hurdles along the way, pushing the envelope of advocacy as necessary, and working in community / teamwork.
Jon recommends donating to the Amistad Catholic Worker or any other Catholic Worker community, and/or the Rosette Village, helping homeless people.

Harmonizing criminal defendants' imbalanced situations- Venerable Thubten Chodron

Beat The Prosecution

10/15/24 • 58 min

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Fairfax criminal defense lawyer and DUI attorney Jonathan Katz has been inspired for years by the great and to-the-point online dharma talks and guided meditations by Venerable Thubten Chodron. Venerable is at once compassionate, kind, generous of her time and as tough as nails. Through divine coincidence that neither knew about at the time, Venerable was editing a book about inmates when Jon Katz invited her onto this show.
Transcending all religious and non-religious approaches to life, Venerable here gives great lessons on non-anger, selflessness, restorative justice, working with inmates, mindfulness and more approaches that work very well for helping criminal defendants and their lawyers obtain the best possible results in court, and for making us feel more grounded. Venerable suggests entitling this podcast as harmonizing the situation rather than beating the prosecution, to which Jon responds why the name remains as it is.
Check out Venerable's many great books, and the section of her abbey's website with writings by incarcerated people and prison volunteers. You are bound to be inspired by Venerable's words and great spirit. If you like what you hear, please consider donating to her abbey.

Winning through resilience, internal strengthening & developed perception: Zen priest Wendy Lau, M.D.

Beat The Prosecution

12/20/24 • 61 min

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Great criminal defense is like delivering clients excellent results while balanced on a pinnacle thousands of feet above the ground below. For that reason, Fairfax criminal / Virginia DUI attorney Jon Katz has invited Zen priest and former New York City emergency room physician Wendy Dainin Lau, M.D., who went from computer technology to medical school, and, after burnout, to the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe.
Effective criminal defense lawyers in so many ways are like emergency room physicians, single-mindedly reaching out to their patients as verbal bows and arrows can be flying -- or seem to be flying -- from all directions. Sensei Wendy has experienced having one patient die, only to still have a roster of other patients to help in the very next moment. She repeatedly takes on the treacherous journey to provide highly needed free healthcare to people in remote areas of Nepal. A recent documentary on that Nomads Clinic work -- Into the Heart of the Mountain -- is available here.
Wendy teaches the practice of G.R.A.C.E.- Gathering attention, Recalling intention, Attuning to self and others, Considering what will serve, Engaging and ending.
Physicians and everyone else will benefit from Wendy's Inner Practice of Medicine book. Wendy welcomes donations to the Upaya Zen scholarship fund bearing her name.

Greenpeace Cofounder Paul Watson- Winning with Courage, Passion & Imagination

Beat The Prosecution

01/08/25 • 62 min

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In mid-December 2024, Denmark released Captain Paul Watson (co-founder of Greenpeace, and founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society) after five months of captivity in an apartment-like incarceration setting in Greenland, when Denmark ultimately declined to extradite him to Japan for a matter about which Captain Watson asserts his innocence.
Three weeks after Captain Watson's release, Fairfax, Virginia criminal defense and DUI lawyer Jonathan Katz had the privilege to spend an hour with him on our Beat the Prosecution podcast, covering such topics as risking detention and prosecution for what we deeply believe in; the international law limiting whaling and sealing; preparing for and winning at trial (he has never been convicted); and his uncanny ability to be non-angry.
Remarkable is Paul's confirmation that he does not get angry, other than when he expresses it with his pen. Non-anger is very vital to beating the prosecution. Paul has been prosecuted numerous times, but all his trials have resulted in acquittals. Listen to how that resulted.
Paul Watson and Jon Katz both eat vegan (with Paul motivated heavily by ecological reasons, and Jon being primarily motivated by nonviolence), and know members of the American Indian Movement (with Paul having been a medic during the Wounded Knee action, and Jon peripherally meeting AIM members through his peace teacher Jun Yasuda, a close friend and supporter of the late Dennis Banks).
Jon recommends reading Paul's autobiography Hitman for the Kindness Club, and listening to his podcast entitled Captain Paul Watson Foundation. More about Paul and his foundation's work is at PaulWatsonFoundation.org. Watson is one of the films about him. Donations to his foundation can be made here.
One of Paul's previous organization's ships was named the Steve Irwin, who supported Paul's approach for animals. Those approaches include ramming whaling ships without causing injury to others, applying dye to seals to make their skins unmarketable, using stink bombs, and releasing animals from captivity.
Paul magnificently sums up his work with this phrase that also is all about how to beat the prosecution: courage, passion and imagination.

Criminal defense wizard Lisa Monet Wayne- Winning through powerful trial advocacy

Beat The Prosecution

10/08/24 • 57 min

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There are heroes, and then there are heroes. Lisa Monet Wayne is one of Fairfax criminal / Virginia DUI lawyer Jonathan Katz's greatest heroes. Lisa was one of Jon Katz's earliest great criminal defense teachers, encouraging attorneys not to shy away from taking even the toughest cases to trial. She was among Jon's teachers at the National Criminal Defense College's Trial Practice Institute.
Lisa is one in a line of great former Colorado Public Defender training directors. She is currently Executive Director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). This interview will be a battery recharge for all criminal defense lawyers.

NORML founder Keith Stroup & political director Morgan Fox- Winning through perseverance, team building & reversing roles

Beat The Prosecution

12/30/24 • 62 min

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Marijuana in large part accelerated Fairfax criminal lawyer Jonathan Katz's transition from working at a corporate law firm to becoming a criminal defense lawyer many years ago. Jon Katz one day read about a federal prosecutor's issuance of a subpoena for High Times Magazine's advertiser records. Jon figured that the prosecutor was going after customers of hydroponic indoor marijuana growers. In protest, Jon took out a subscription to High Times, and told the same by letter to the then-federal attorney general and High Times. As a result of that subscription, Jon learned about criminal defense lawyer Don Fiedler, who was then national director of NORML, who helped Jon steer his path towards criminal defense.

In rapid order, Jon joined the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and met its then-executive director Keith Stroup. the founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), which is devoted to marijuana consumers, rather than to manufacturers and sellers. Jon had previously read the authorized NORML biography High in America, and has been fascinated by Keith's story. Keith has for many years been back with NORML, where he is current legal counsel.

The story of marijuana legalization and decriminalization provides strong lessons for criminal defense lawyers and their clients, about perseverance, team building and reversing roles. Marijuana remains criminalized at the federal level, but its odor is no longer a basis under Virginia law for a police search, and possession of designated amounts is no longer an offense in Virginia, which still needs legalized retail sales beyond medicinal sales. Many marijuana reformers have worked tirelessly and creatively over the decades to get us to where we are now. The team building involved in obtaining marijuana reform goes well beyond so-called political progressives. The reversing roles looks at what makes politicians and other policymakers tick for no longer demonizing marijuana.

On this episode of Beat the Prosecution, Jon welcomes Keith Stroup and NORML political director Morgan Fox, for an eye-opening look at how far marijuana reform has come and what still needs to be done. Jon believes strongly in decriminalizing all drugs, as well.

For more information about NORML and how to join and donate to the group, visit NORML.org.

Choosing your criminal defense lawyer- The funding aspect.

Beat The Prosecution

01/09/24 • 14 min

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Financing your criminal defense may be among your more important questions in selecting a lawyer. Join us as Fairfax criminal and DUI defense lawyer Jon Katz addresses some payment options for hiring an attorney, and questions you might ask your potential lawyer about fees.

Winning through relentless client focus- Sameera Ali, Lauren Whitley, Erin Smith and Jim Magner

Beat The Prosecution

12/13/24 • 55 min

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Criminal defense lawyers must hang together lest they hang separately. Northern Virginia lawyer Sameera Ali accepted an Alexandria Juvenile & Domestic Relations (JDR) Court request to represent an indigent defendant (for abysmally low pay), let the court know she was not available on the then-pending court date, got the prosecutor's office on board for seeking a very brief court date rescheduling to when Ms. Ali was available, and instead got issued a show cause notice to appear in the same court to address why she should not be held in jailable contempt of court.
Once this story hit the Washington Post (with the bittersweet ending of a dismissal of Sameera's show cause case, but only after a one hour hearing), the outpouring of support for Sameera came rushing through. The show cause hearing courtroom was filled with supportive criminal defense lawyers and also included prosecutors and city attorneys. With criminal defense lawyers ready to instantly rally around their mistreated sister and brother lawyers, and with the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers' strike force, judges, prosecutors and police should think carefully before trespassing against one of our own.
On this Beat the Prosecution episode, Sameera and Erin Smith tell about the events following the unjust issuance of this show cause order against her, Erin's immediate departure from the Alexandria JDR court's indigent appointment list, and what happened at the hearing where the show cause order against Sameera got dismissed. Longtime public defender lawyer Lauren Whitley talks about the importance for lawyers to speak out about judges' wrongful actions. Sameera's law partner Jim Magner talks about the importance for people to recognize the devotion and talent that so many lawyers demonstrate in representing indigent defendants. Not present for this show is Christopher Leibig, Sameera's lawyer who filed this great motion to dismiss the show cause matter against Sameera.
Striking is the absence of anger nor any agenda in Sameera nor Jim, and just Sameera's getting right back in the saddle and urging criminal defense lawyers to accept court appointments to represent indigent defendants.
Many criminal defense lawyers are unsung and undersung heroes. Sameera is a hero to let the light be shined on her plight, to not let this matter knock her down, to win, and to treat such mistreatment with such dignity and can-do strength.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," as Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded

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FAQ

How many episodes does Beat The Prosecution have?

Beat The Prosecution currently has 53 episodes available.

What topics does Beat The Prosecution cover?

The podcast is about Lawyer, Attorney, Virginia, Criminal, Podcasts, Education, Crime and Government.

What is the most popular episode on Beat The Prosecution?

The episode title 'Trial readiness needs to lead your criminal defense.' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Beat The Prosecution?

The average episode length on Beat The Prosecution is 45 minutes.

How often are episodes of Beat The Prosecution released?

Episodes of Beat The Prosecution are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of Beat The Prosecution?

The first episode of Beat The Prosecution was released on Dec 14, 2023.

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Beat The Prosecution

Jon Katz

Top 10 Beat The Prosecution Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Beat The Prosecution have?

What topics does Beat The Prosecution cover?

What is the most popular episode on Beat The Prosecution?

What is the average episode length on Beat The Prosecution?

How often are episodes of Beat The Prosecution released?

When was the first episode of Beat The Prosecution?

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