FWIW I disagree over outrage re Judge Sullivan hiring attorney to respond to D.C. Circuit and was rather surprised that many read the order as requiring him to personally respond, but since I don't know D.C. practice figured it was merely a difference in practice. 1/

2/ For those who haven't read my bio, I was a career law clerk for a 7th Cir. judge for ~25 years. (7th Cir. is same level as D.C. Cir. and thus analogous.) Very few mandamus petition made it to stage of responding but ones I recall seeking response from judge had outside

3/3 counsel respond. So, the problem with Sullivan isn't he hired an attorney to represent him in mandamus. It was that Sullivan didn't dismiss the charge.

For example:

Here was the court order: Note the court did NOT appoint an attorney for the judge.

Folks: Don't shoot the messenger. Sullivan did a ton of crap wrong. It just ain't this.