Cheney and Scalia duck hunting-conflict of interest in Chaney's case

[schultzee]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-ducks17jan17,1,77
77211.story?coll=la-home-headlines (this link came through from my local DEC, and while I have the whole story I could not connect with the link and it could have been scrubbed.)

Trip With Cheney Puts Ethics Spotlight on Scalia
Friends hunt ducks together, even as the justice is set to hear the
vice president's case.



By David G. Savage, Times Staff Writer


WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney and Supreme Court Justice
Antonin Scalia spent part of last week duck hunting together at a
private camp in southern Louisiana just three weeks after the court
agreed to take up the vice president's appeal in lawsuits over his
handling of the administration's energy task force.

While Scalia and Cheney are avid hunters and longtime friends, several
experts in legal ethics questioned the timing of their trip and said
it raised doubts about Scalia's ability to judge the case impartially.

But Scalia rejected that concern Friday, saying, "I do not think my
impartiality could reasonably be questioned."

Federal law says "any justice or judge shall disqualify himself in any
proceeding in which his impartiality might be questioned." For nearly
three years, Cheney has been fighting demands that he reveal whether
he met with energy industry officials, including Kenneth L. Lay when
he was chairman of Enron, while he was formulating the president's
energy policy.

A lower court ruled that Cheney must turn over documents detailing who
met with his task force, but on Dec. 15, the high court announced it
would hear his appeal. The justices are due to hear arguments in April
in the case of "in re Richard B. Cheney."

<snip>

[cornermouse]

1. Shhhhhhh....

Look the other direction and move on. That's how its done.

[baby_bear]

2. This link works

http://www.latimes.com/la-na-ducks17jan17,1,4466372.story

Nothing new here; move along now.

s_m

[Syrinx]

3. I wonder if it was a real hunting trip

Or if Cheney was shooting caged birds again...

[cosmicdot]

4. birds of a feather, as they say

Cheney hunting trip a few years ago.

[DU9598]

5. DC bar ethics complaint????

It is a very real actual conflict of interest. Why don't liberal interest groups do to the Repukes what the conservative interest groups did during the Clinton years? File an ethics complaint against Scalia and have his law license suspended for such conduct.

[ixion]

6. he says: "Of course I'm impartial. Just ask me."

Puh-leeze. The hypocrisy is astounding.

[Jackpine Radical]

7. Well, it's not as if favors from the Veep were likely to change anything.

It was "Whatever Dick wants" before the hunt, and it's still "Whatever Dick wants."

[Wickerman]

8. Its the BFEE standard at work

Do blatantly outrageously illegal crap, get indignant when called on it, say its above board 'cuz you said so, media complies by reporting it as fact without challenge, Dems roll over and don't challenge, justice aborted, end of story. If only Bush had been a womanizer rather than a drunk and cokehead, we might have well-placed people who cared.

[RUexperienced]

9. Did you change the headline?

If so, please change it to abide by Breaking News rules.

[Toots]

10. What are some of the questions they ask prospective jurors?

Do you know the defendant? Have you had any dealings with the defendant? A yes on either question will in most cases get you disqualified. I'm sure any lawyer can think of a multitude of reasons why this hunting trip is improper. I think this is good news because Scalia will get so much pressure he will have to recuse himself and it makes it four to four. Not sure how it would end up if they were tied but it will be interesting.

[Moderator]

11. dupe

Please continue the discussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=318331

Thank you


DU Moderator