Judge Thurston
Yesterday, on Friday, March 4th, 2022, U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston held a Faretta hearing and granted Nathan Larson's bid to go pro se (i.e. act as his own lawyer).
Background
Already covered extensively, but if you are new, here's a recap:
Nathan Larson
In December 2020, 40-year-old Larson (@Leucosticte) allegedly left his parents' home in Catlett, Virginia to pick up a 12-year-old girl in Fresno, California. They met on Larson's pro-pedophilia website, Rapey. Law enforcement intercepted both of them; Larson was arrested, charged, and indicted on five federal charges as a result.
If convicted on all counts, Larson would face a maximum of three life sentences plus fifty years' imprisonment.
Larson is the father of a young girl who he no longer has custody of. He has two ex-wives, one of whom was a tranny, and he unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives twice.
The hearing
Nathan Larson's ex-lawyer, Peter M. Jones
Yesterday's hearing comes after over a year's worth of pretrial motions and a mental evaluation of Larson, where he was found competent to assist in his own defense. As Larson is not vaccinated, objects to videoconferencing, and also objects to the federal courthouse's mask mandate, hearings were delayed multiple times.
Named after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Faretta v. California (1975), a Faretta hearing determines if a criminal defendant who wishes to represent themselves does so knowingly and intelligently. "Mr. Larson," Judge Thurston politely asked, "You are facing some very serious charges. Are you aware of that?"
Larson then started mumbling; Judge Thurston proceeded to read the Indictment to remind Larson of the potential penalties he would face if he was found guilty.
After Larson stated that he had no legal training or experience, Thurston patiently attempted to dissuade him from going pro se: "You would not receive any special treatment by the court. This is a valuable constitutional right to counsel that you are giving up...You would be going up against experienced criminal trial prosecutors, they would have experience in jury selection and court procedures that you don't."
Nathan's court-appointed counsel, Peter Jones, noted that he very strongly advised Larson against this, but accepted that it was Larson's right to represent himself, under the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian W. Enos, the federal prosecutor, raised concerns about the protective order, which prevents the parties in this case from sharing certain discovery materials (i.e. the evidence) with third parties. Since this case allegedly involves the kidnapping of a 12-year-old and a voluminous amount of child pornography, Enos noted that there would be logistical difficulties associated with Larson's pro se representation. The court would have to fulfil Larson's constitutional right to view and address the government's case against him ahead of trial, but also prevent Larson from disseminating or retaining any sensitive material. It is likely that the government will have to foot the costly bill for one or more third-party investigators to assist Larson in handling discovery materials.
In any case, Judge Thurston granted Larson's motion to represent himself. After several more minutes of wrangling over trial scheduling, she scheduled a status conference for early April to take place in the courtroom (instead of Zoom). Larson briefly argued with Thurston over the courthouse's mask mandate before the hearing concluded.
Holy shit. I can't overstate how stupid (and rare) it actually is to represent yourself in a criminal case where you are facing life imprisonment. Like, it is plain suicidal. Against the feds? You will lose. Then again, Larson probably knows that he will never be released from prison, so I'm guessing he wants to use the trial to make some sort of political statement.
Given the logistical difficulties of Larson's pro se representation, and because the Eastern District of California is one of the most backlogged federal district courts in the country, trial is not likely to start until early 2023.
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