What is Steven Donziger up against? In our extensive conversation with him this week, we ask him to walk us through the charges he faced as a result of targeting from Chevron, how he appealed those charges, and why it’s significant that this appeal won’t be considered by the Supreme Court. Steven explains that he was charged with contempt of court and sentenced to 6 months in jail back in 2021 for refusing to hand over personal electronic devices to Chevron for their perusal. A district attorney had refused to prosecute him, but when a federal district court judge appointed a friend of his (who worked for a Chevron firm, it bears noting) to go after Steven, private corporate prosecution led to Steven’s sentencing.
As Steven, himself an attorney, points out, this degree of unapologetic, outright corporate power being wielded for private prosecution is truly unprecedented. We hope you, like us, will appreciate hearing from Steven on this crucial case, reflecting on how corporate power and lack of accountability goes all the way up the American judicial system. Remember that you can listen to this episode through Spotify, Substack, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more.
Episode 118 Audio: Steven Donziger