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Robert Barnes (attorney)

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Robert Barnes
Born
Robert Edward Barnes

(1974-04-11) April 11, 1974 (age 50)
Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga (BA)
University of Wisconsin Law School (JD)
Occupation(s)Criminal tax attorney, legal advocate, political commentator, and YouTuber
Websitebarneslawllp.com

Robert Edward Barnes (born April 11, 1974) is an American lawyer and political commentator. He is the co-host, with David Freiheit, of the podcast Viva & Barnes: Law for the People. Founder of Barnes Law LLP, a Los Angeles–based law firm,[1][2] Barnes gained public attention by representing perceived underdogs and for lawsuits involving constitutional issues.[3]

Early life and education

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Barnes grew up in East Ridge, Tennessee, attended Grace Baptist Academy, and later received a scholarship to the McCallie School, a private all-male high school. Barnes' father died when he was a child.[4]

He later attended Yale University for two years before transferring to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1994, citing Yale's elitism as the reason behind his decision to switch schools.[5][6] Barnes graduated from University of Wisconsin Law School.[7]

Career

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Barnes was formerly a partner at the Bernhoft Law Firm.[8] He later established his own practice, Barnes Law LLP, and is affiliated with Free America Law Center.[9]

Notable cases

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Barnes represented Ralph Nader in lawsuits regarding ballot access in Hawaii and Arizona for his 2004 presidential bid. The Hawaiian lawsuit was unsuccessful; however, the Arizona lawsuit was ultimately successful in Nader v. Brewer.[10][11][12]

While with Bernhoft in 2008, Barnes served as one of actor Wesley Snipes' criminal defense lawyers. After a federal trial, a jury acquitted Snipes of conspiracy and felony tax evasion but convicted him on three out of six counts of misdemeanor failure to file income tax returns.[13] Judge William Terrell Hodges imposed the maximum sentence of three consecutive one-year terms.[14] The convictions and sentence were upheld on appeal, where Snipes was represented by other counsel.[15][16][17]

Barnes was one of Alex Jones's defense attorneys in defamation lawsuits filed by an FBI agent and the parents of victims from the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre after Jones suggested that the shooting may have been staged.[18][19] Pre-trial default judgments were entered against Jones in all cases, with jury trials later being held for the sole purpose of assessing damages.[20][21]

In 2019 Barnes represented eight Covington High School students, excluding Nick Sandmann,[22][23] in a lawsuit that was later dismissed.[24][23]

Barnes was initially hired as part of Kyle Rittenhouse's defense team in his criminal trial following the 2020 Kenosha unrest shooting, but Barnes did not end up representing Rittenhouse at trial.[25][26]

He represented bartender Dustin Hice in a sexual assault lawsuit against CNN anchor Don Lemon in 2021,[27] based on a series of allegations that were later retracted.[28]

In 2021 Barnes also represented Amy Cooper in the Central Park birdwatching incident for the misdemeanor charge of filing a false police report, a charge that was dismissed upon the motion of the prosecutor.[29]

Barnes was hired in 2022 to represent Amish farmer Amos Miller of Miller's Organic Farm in the United States government's lawsuit against him for refusing to undergo USDA inspection of his products for religious reasons.[30] In 2024 Barnes represented Amish farmer Reuben King during sentencing for his May 17, 2023 conviction for privately selling hunting guns from his collection without a license. King was facing 'up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both'. On Jan 23, 2024 the judge ruled King must pay a $35,000 fine and will spend three years on probation.[31]

Political views

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Barnes is a self-described populist.[32]

Bet on Trump

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In 2016, Barnes successfully wagered in European betting markets on Donald Trump being elected president of the United States, winning more than US$500,000.[33][4]

References

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  1. ^ "VivaBarnesLaw". vivabarneslaw.locals.com. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "Attorney Profile: Robert Edward Barnes - #235919". State Bar of California.
  3. ^ Hartman, Jason (August 25, 2021). "1730: Robert Barnes, Champion Of The Underdog, A Crusader For The Constitution And An Equalizer Of Odds!". The Creating Wealth Show (Podcast). Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Smith, Millicent (November 20, 2016). "Chattanooga native hits jackpot betting on Trump win". The Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  5. ^ Oppenheimer, Mark (November 21, 2016). "The Man Who Made $500,000 Off Trump's Win". Tablet.
  6. ^ Terry, Amy (November 16, 1994). "Barnes Rages Against Elitism". Yale Daily News.
  7. ^ "Board of Professional Responsibility". www.tbpr.org. Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  8. ^ Baxter, Brian (January 29, 2009). "Bob Barnes Hits Back at Client Gone Wild in Court Filing". AmLawDaily. ALM Media Properties, LLC. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  9. ^ "Join The Fight". Free America Law Center. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  10. ^ "Ralph Nader's Lawyer: Hawaii Election Law Fight About Free Speech Rights". Honolulu Civil Beat. February 11, 2011.
  11. ^ "Court turns down Nader challenge of Hawaii election ruling". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. April 4, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  12. ^ Fischer, Howard (August 16, 2004). "Nader challenges decision to keep him off Ariz. ballot". Arizona Daily Sun. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  13. ^ Morrissey, Siobhan (February 1, 2008). "Wesley Snipes Acquitted of Tax Fraud". People Magazine. Archived from the original on February 4, 2008.
  14. ^ "Wesley Snipes sentenced to 3 years in prison". Today. April 24, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  15. ^ "Prosecutors defend Snipes jail sentence". Entertainment News. UPO. February 1, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  16. ^ "Appeals Court Upholds Wesley Snipes Tax Conviction". Accounting Today. July 16, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  17. ^ "Wesley Snipes Ordered to Serve Three Years in Prison". The Hollywood Reporter. November 19, 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  18. ^ Tilove, Jonathan (March 7, 2019). "Alex Jones ratchets up his Sandy Hook defense". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023.
  19. ^ Ross, Jamie (May 3, 2019). "Sandy Hook Parents' Lawyer Wants Alex Jones Attorney Removed Over Infowars Attack". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  20. ^ Thebault, Ries. "Alex Jones must pay damages to Sandy Hook families in another defamation case, judge rules". Washington Post. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  21. ^ Sommer, Will (June 9, 2022). "Alex Jones Is Turning on His Own Lawyers in Sandy Hook Case". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  22. ^ Sommer, Will (January 10, 2020). "Covington Catholic Student Nick Sandmann's Lawyers Go After Rival Attorney". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  23. ^ a b Bauerlein, Monika (November 2, 2021). "The legal war against Mother Jones keeps getting more intense". Mother Jones. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  24. ^ Karanth, Sanjana (November 6, 2019). "Judge Dismisses Students' Libel Suit Against Elizabeth Warren, Deb Haaland". HuffPost. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  25. ^ Rohrlich, Justin (February 5, 2021). "Kyle Rittenhouse Hires Wesley Snipes' Tax Lawyer". The Daily Beast.
  26. ^ Lyons, Patrick J.; Petri, Alexandra E. (November 18, 2021). "Here's a guide to who's who in the Rittenhouse courtroom". The New York Times.
  27. ^ Henderson, Cydney. "Don Lemon sued for allegedly assaulting New York bartender, 'categorically denies' claims". USA TODAY.
  28. ^ Chisolm, Johanna (May 3, 2022). "Don Lemon assault accuser drops suit against CNN host after 'deep dive into memory'". The Independent. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  29. ^ Higginbotham, Emily (February 19, 2021). "Charges Dropped Against Amy Cooper". Chelsea News. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  30. ^ Flynn, Dan (November 30, 2022). "Amos Miller returns to court with a new, high-profile attorney from Los Angeles". Food Safety News. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  31. ^ Nephin, Dan (January 24, 2024). "Leacock Township Amish farmer who sold guns without a license gets probation, $35K fine". Lancaster Online. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  32. ^ "Chattanooga native hits jackpot betting on Trump win". AP News. November 24, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  33. ^ O’Driscoll, Sean (December 26, 2016). "Lawyer cashed in on underestimated Trump". thetimes.co.uk. The Times. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
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