DC Fires Attorney Handling Heller Appeal; Second Major Counsel Change In Two Weeks

This is interesting. The District of Columbia has fired its attorney handling the Heller case.

From the Washington Post: "Alan B. Morrison, who has argued roughly 20 cases before the high court, was asked to leave his post as special counsel by the end of this week, Morrison said today. Morrison had been hired by former Attorney General Linda Singer, who resigned two weeks ago, and put in charge of arguing the handgun case."

The Legal Times has more on this developing story.

Several blogs are speculating that Morrison cannot be happy. 2A scholar and attorney David Hardy calls the firing a stab in the back. The brief is due to the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, which means it is done and perhaps already back from the printer. DC officials waited until Morrison's intellectual work in the form of his written argument was complete before firing him.

The mayor hired new counsel to replace Singer, a family friend. If the situation there is in as much dissaray as it appears from the outside, it can mean nothing but good news for firearms owners.

Very interesting developments, indeed. Stay tuned.

UPDATE 11:28 pm -- Peter Nickles, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty's general counsel, told Legal Times he is considering Supreme Court veterans Walter Dellinger III and Thomas Goldstein as possible replacements for Alan Morrison to argue D.C.'s cause at the Supreme Court in the key gun control case of D.C. v. Heller.