This May Be the Only Time I've Rooted for the DEA
Lee Paige made my 2011 list of "highlights in shifting responsibility," even though the most recent development in his case had occurred at the very end of 2010, because it is hard to imagine a more brazen attempt to deflect blame: The former DEA agent literally shot himself in the foot while lecturing a group of children about gun safety at an Orlando community center in 2004 (immediately after declaring, "I'm the only one in this room professional enough…to carry this Glock 40"), then sued DEA officials for making him "a laughing stock around the world" by releasing a widely viewed video of the incident. It was never clear how the video, which was taken by a parent attending Paige's talk, ended up online. In any event, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday, the video did not reveal any private facts; to the contrary, it showed a public event that was a matter of public concern. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld a federal judge's 2010 dismissal of Paige's lawsuit, concluding that he had not presented evidence of the Privacy Act violations he alleged in his complaint.
The D.C. Circuit's ruling is here (PDF).
[via Point of Law]