Moments before stepping to the podium in an august New Orleans courtroom, defense attorney Billy Ravkind jotted a few more notes on his yellow legal pad. The pad--and a plastic pen--were all Ravkind carried with him Tuesday while appearing before a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. There was no point in arming himself with the voluminous briefs and reference books that attorneys typically bring for comfort to the high-ceilinged chamber, Ravkind said. By now, he is intimately familiar with the case of the United States of America vs.... More >>>