A Lion Where There Were Lambs: The Quest for Truth, Justice, and the Rule of Law in the Pacific Northwest

by Bill Erxleben

Overview

The true story of a crusading lawyer willing to risk his career and reputation in some of the most famous cases in Pacific Northwest history

Referred to by a political commentator as “Front Page Bill” for his headline-making exploits, Bill Erxleben was an anti-corruption federal prosecutor, consumer protection and environmental champion. He would take on vested interests and the federal bureaucracy and win national acclaim for his zealous commitment to the public interest.

Politicians and industry representatives upset with his outspoken manner and vigorous enforcement of the law, called for his dismissal three times, including several requests that went all the way to the White House and Congress.

In A Lion Where There Were Lambs, Erxleben discloses new revelations and compelling details about some of the most famous, headline-breaking legal cases in the Pacific Northwest.

This fascinating story is packed with regional history, national intrigue, and lessons from the past that directly apply to today’s current events. In the era of fake news, untruthfulness, and dissembling by government, Americans must learn from history and exercise moral responsibility by speaking out to preserve the common good and our democratic institutions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781732891203
Publisher:	Forseti Books
Publication date:	04/30/2019
Pages:	358
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

Table of Contents

Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Part I. Coming of Age

CHAPTER ONE: The Making of an Iconoclast . . . . . . . . 7

CHAPTER TWO: Adventure Bound . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

CHAPTER THREE: The Making of a Lawyer . . . . . . . . . 39

CHAPTER FOUR: A Unique and Unusual Airman . . . . . . 57

Part II. In Pursuit of the Common Good

CHAPTER FIVE: Making My Bones as a Lawyer . . . . . . . 83

CHAPTER SIX: Crooked Cops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

CHAPTER SEVEN: Cleaning House . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

CHAPTER EIGHT: Revolution! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

CHAPTER NINE: The Tacoma Circus . . . . . . . . . . . 153

CHAPTER TEN: Saving the Salish Sea . . . . . . . . . . . 183

CHAPTER ELEVEN: The Fixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

CHAPTER TWELVE: Granny on Steroids . . . . . . . . . . 217

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Creative Justice . . . . . . . . . . . 233

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: The Mountain, the Woodshed, the Farm 257

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Speaking Truth to Power . . . . . . . 277

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Biting the Hand That Fed Me . . . . . 299

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Granny the Nanny . . . . . . . . 309

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Dreams of the Future . . . . . . . . 327

Epilogue: Aftermaths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TK

Editorial Reviews

2019-03-18
Erxleben recounts his eventful career as a federal attorney and his struggle to maintain his idealism in the face of human folly.

Debut author Erxleben was born in Chicago in 1942, and the specter of his father's powerful figure loomed large over his life; he was politically and religiously conservative and an unrelenting disciplinarian. When he died, the author felt "emancipated from the authoritarianism of his rule" and "free to forge my own path." Erxleben attended Miami University and Stanford Law School and served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War stationed in Great Falls, Montana, a "pleasant sanctuary" in comparison to the chaos of battle raging in Asia. He accepted a position as assistant attorney general for Washington state, a job that secured him an early release from his military duties, and within his inaugural year, he participated "in two of the most celebrated criminal trials in Washington State history." One involved the prosecution of corrupt police officers and the other the infamous "Seattle Seven," leftist revolutionaries charged with inciting violence. Later, Erxleben won an appointment as the Seattle regional director of the Federal Trade Commission and was charged with the challenging task of effecting deep "structural reform" of a bureaucracy sorely needing it. At the heart of the author's exceedingly thoughtful account of his professional efforts is the struggle against a slide into cynicism, the natural result of bearing witness to so much moral turpitude: "I struggle to be optimistic, which is understandable, I suppose, since pessimism about the future seems to come easily to those of German descent. After all, Wagner's Ring Cycle does end with Valhalla in flames." Erxleben's remembrance is as lucidly written as philosophically searching—Kierkegaard and Socrates interest him as much as Nixon. His account of the legal cases can be microscopically detailed, a granular perspective that might not grip the legal layperson. However, he furnishes not only an edifying account of the foibles of government, but also of a turbulent time in America, when many were infatuated by the allure of "violent leftist revolution."

A perspicacious reflection on a tumultuous era in American history.

Kirkus Reviews