Leist back in the law game

Looks like Don Leist is practicing law again. He wants in on the case of FirstElectricNewspaper.com (FEN) v. McHenry County Sheriff's Department (MCSD).

Not just giving legal advice to Nygren and Zinke as a small part of his job as Equal Employment Opportunity "officer" at the Sheriff's Department. (We don't really have to call him "Officer Leist", do we?) He wants back in the courtroom.

Leist told Judge Meyer that he'll help out and that he has "that authorization", which must be from Nygren. Or maybe from Zinke, since Nygren doesn't seem to be around much for his $12,500/month pay. FEN reported yesterday that Leist doesn't want Judge Meyer to let the State's Attorney have a copy of his 100-page investigative report "in case they'd leak it."

That ought to result in a complaint to the ARDC. Will Lou Bianchi take it as an insult great enough to file a complaint against Leist?

It was just two years ago (exactly, as it turns out (October 31, 2011)), that the EEO position at MCSD was open and I wrote this article, in which I covered the added job qualification of "Juris Doctorate preferred." After Leist was hired (was anyone else interviewed?), Nygren apparently added the label of Legal Affairs Officer to the job.

More duties ...  Did Leist's pay go up?

What are the ethics of Leist's defending MCSD in this case? Leist is the one who investigated Zinke for outing a confidential DEA investigation to Brian Goode, president of RITA Corporation.

Leist is the one who apparently wrote a 100-page "investigative" report that exonerated Zinke.

Now Leist wants to defend MCSD against FEN's FOIA request for that report.

Is this all just too cozy?

Could FEN's attorney make an argument that MCSD is just stalling and ask Judge Meyer for a court date and decision by November 15? Force the appeal, and then ask the Appellate Court for a January decision, well before the March primary?

Will the State's Attorney Office refuse to delay and stall and tell Judge Meyer that it's ready to proceed, in spite of their client's wishes (or instructions?) to stall?