London groping case dogs governor (Schwarzenegger may go to court)

[not systems]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/04/17/GUV.TMP

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's treatment of women he encountered as a movie star has largely faded from public discourse, aside from the occasional Doonesbury cartoon that depicts the governor as a giant hand addressed by reporters as Herr Gropenführer.

But there's one incident that refuses to go away. A British television interviewer, Anna Richardson, says Schwarzenegger pawed her during a publicity stop in London in 2000 and then libeled her through statements made by campaign staff that appeared in a California newspaper article five days before the 2003 recall election that vaulted him into office.

...

Unless the governor wins a late judicial reprieve or reaches an out-of-court settlement, he may find himself spending part of the 2006 election year -- his re-election year should he choose to seek another term -- in a witness box, answering questions under oath before 12 British jurors and a bewigged judge.

...

"There's a tremendous imposition on (Schwarzenegger's) time, on his attention, on his energy, the damage to the dignity of the office,'' said Rodney Smolla, dean of the University of Richmond School of Law in Virginia and a libel law expert. "It's very difficult to imagine this (trial) actually going forward.''




Looks like Rodney Smolla was singing a different tune
when Clinton was on the firing line.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/kramer052998.htm

...

Louis Bograd, an ACLU lawyer who helped draft a friend-of-the-court brief for Kramerbooks, said the organization was "distressed to hear that the judge may have upheld any subpoena to a bookstore, even a narrow one."

But Rodney Smolla, a William and Mary law professor who is a frequent commentator on First Amendment issues, warned that the appeals court may not buy this as a free speech case.

"This is getting a lot murkier," he said. "It would diminish the First Amendment aspects if the special prosecutor is issuing a subpoena not to determine Lewinsky's reading habits, but instead to see if she possessed a physical object that she turned over to the president."

If Lewinsky had bought a paperweight instead of a book, Smolla noted, Starr's reasons for inquiring about the purchase might be the same. Then, however, First Amendment considerations wouldn't apply.

...

[MisterP]

1. Arnold does London!

[Fridays Child]

2. Rodney Smolla, University of Richmond situational ethicist.

Sheesh! :eyes:

[ReadTomPaine]

3. What's the penalty for Arnold if the court rules against him, I wonder?

Hey Britain, put Arnold in prison and we'll give you Florida back. What do you say?

RTP

[roobarb]

4. Let me think.....

No - I don't think we want either - although thanks for the offer!

[ReadTomPaine]

5. Ok - we'll add texas.

Think of it like a big GM rebate!

RTP

On edit: Welcome to DU!

[Anarcho-Socialist]

7. Can we have West Virginia and Virginia instead? n/t

[ReadTomPaine]

15. How about we take Christopher Hitchens off your hands instead..

.. of Virgina? He seems more at home here anyway doesn't he? And John Major instead of West Virgina. He'd be considered an Abbie Hoffman style radical in the States now so why not.

You guys are always so hot to grab Virgina? Why is that?

;)

RTP

[Anarcho-Socialist]

16. Enough, rebellious whigs! King George will soon have you... er... nothing

:shrug:

[yorgatron]

14. Welcome to DU roobarb!

:party:

[spooky3]

18. welcome to DU, roobarb!

[woofless]

26. Ummmmmm.......we took Florida from Spain.

Not that Britain wouldn't want it.

[DUBYASCREWEDUS]

27. I think

Florida goes to Spain. Let's give him Texas and we'll throw in Ohio, and 2 other red states.

[dsc]

6. I think he is wrong

but I fail to see hypocrisy in Smolla. He only comment on the Lewinski subpeona and not the over all case.

[PSPS]

8. HAHAHA "damage to the dignity of the office" HAHAHA

"There's a tremendous imposition on (Schwarzenegger's) time, on his attention, on his energy, the damage to the dignity of the office,'' said Rodney Smolla, dean of the University of Richmond School of Law in Virginia and a libel law expert.

Who's he kidding? Since Herr Gropenfurher was "elected," there is no "dignity" with the office. I guess we can assume that Smolla is just another "fan."

[realFedUp]

10. welcome to DU PSPS

yeah an imposition on Arnie's ability
to cross the country looking for handouts
to fund his initiatives and "special"
election.

[zbdent]

22. That line of "thinking" didn't fly for the Repukes

why should it help them?

I mean, the Repukes were hitting at Clinton on everything, trying to keep him from being effective.

So, I say, "Why should Ahnold get better treatment?"

I'd love to see him have to serve out the rest of his term in a jail cell out of the country . . .

[MisterP]

28. you mean the shoe-polished bikini-waxing flabulous sexist nazist

oil-orgy-indulging cigar-swilling demented tangerine-orange corpse is harming the office's dignity? NAAAAAHHH!
Welcome to DU!

[Mark E. Smith]

9. "Duh - Da Da Da Da Da Da Da"*

* Translation: "Dis Anna Richardson, she is da nurse, jah?

[smirkymonkey]

11. Okay, this is sooooo typically Republican....

""There's a tremendous imposition on (Schwarzenegger's) time, on his attention, on his energy, the damage to the dignity of the office,'' said Rodney Smolla, dean of the University of Richmond School of Law in Virginia and a libel law expert. "It's very difficult to imagine this (trial) actually going forward."

It's ALL ABOUT MEEEEEE!!! Who gives a damn that somebody else's rights were trampled. "The dignity of his office..." PLEASE!!

I hope he gets it up the ass. :nopity:

[leesa]

12. No kidding. It's like the twisted logic the Supremes used when they

installed Chimpy. 'A recount might hurt Bush'.

[spooky3]

19. as my mother would say, "he should have thought about that

BEFORE he decided to grope!"

[anarchy1999]

13. All I have to say is: SWEET!!! oh, yeah, I forgot, "BRING IT ON"!

PLEASE! and soon!

[Cha]

17. Maybe arnold shouldn't have

groped the woman if he didn't want his time ..impositioned!

[olddad56]

20. ARNOLD IS A KNUCKLE DRAGGING NEANDERTHAL NAZI GOON

[carnie_sf]

21. Der Gropenfuhrer strikes again eom

[UCLA Dem]

23. Sweet! I like this woman!!! Go get him!

[barb162]

24. HOW, WHY, did the CA voters vote for this groping harassing idiot

I mean the stories were in the LA Times and elsewhere, multiple cases, and they voted for him anyway. I just don't get it.

[tinanator]

29. do you think GW earned 8 million new voters?

I dont. I dont think Ahnold won this deal either. Look at the results.

[gratuitous]

25. Oh, it's not that big of an imposition

Unless the Supreme Court, which voted 9-0 that Paula Jones' civil suit could go ahead against Clinton, was absolutely dead wrong.

But we know that never happens, so I'd say that Ah-nuld had better get himself a good barrister.