I’ve made it a point to steer clear of the whole Casey Anthony insanity.  Well, until yesterday.  And today.  But I couldn’t let the latest out of Florida go without a comment or two…or twenty.  Jose Baez, as we know, is one of Casey Anthony’s lawyers.  Unfortunately, recent stories have put him in a less than noble position.  Actually, the stories haven’t put him in this position - he’s managed it all by himself. 

Two weeks ago, he was warned to halt physical contact between himself and Casey Anthony during their visits.  He said he wasn’t aware of regulations that prohibited physical contact between prisoners and their legal counsel and that it was customary for him to hug all of his clients.  I doubt that, but that’s neither here nor there.  Still, a week later, the jail officials had to warn him yet again.  Not only is this being called unethical behavior, but he’s putting this entire case in jeopardy.  If she’s found guilty, this could be spun into some kind of justification for an appeal because of lines that are being crossed in the client/attorney dynamics.  He’s threatened to file a brief - although I can’t imagine how well that would go over, since he knows he’s crossed the line.  Of all the years he’s been inside that jail to visit clients,  surely he knows the rules by now.  To file a brief would require an explanation as to why he’s breaking the rules, and my guess is that’s one explanation he doesn’t want to provide.

It’s been hokey since the beginning.  His being in the Anthony home late at night, her all day visits to his office - it just seemed a bit too intimate.  I’m not suggesting anything along the lines of his betraying his wife, but he’s certainly betraying his oath as an attorney.  It’s almost as if he’s being drawn into her twisted thought process.  Some say he’s behaving more like a member of the family or a close friend than as a part of her legal team that’s supposed to be preparing a solid defense for her trial.  I’ve not seen the other attorney who was brought in whose experience in death penalty cases is required under Florida law.  He’s not been making statements to the media, nor does he appear to have much patience for this whole “woe is me” attitude that Casey Anthony is known for.  His goal is to defend her.  Period.  Many are beginning to wonder what Jose Baez’s goal is.  The lines are becoming blurred. 

It would be a shame to allow this one woman to jeopardize his entire career and possibly everything else in his life.  You can’t help but wonder what he expects to gain from this.  If he loses his credibility as an attorney, he won’t have a career, or at least, he won’t have an untarnished career.  It’s like so many other things in life, you don’t know what you want, but you sure know what you don’t want. If he’s not careful, he’ll become the “don’t want” of Florida attorneys.