Justices Scalia And Thomas's Attendance At Koch Event Sparks Judicial Ethics Debate

[pgodbold]

I hate these bastards. I really do. There has justice somewhere but not here.


"Tuesday evening, the New York Times reported that an upcoming meeting in Palm Springs of "a secretive network of Republican donors" that was being organized by Koch Industries, "the longtime underwriter of libertarian causes." Buried in the third to last graph was a note that previous guests at such meetings included Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/20/scalia-thomas-koch-industries_n_769843.html

[Skidmore]

1. Is it okay to say "activist judges" yet, or judicial activism??????

Just sayin'.

[malaise]

3. They should be impeached

Now I understand that vote for corporations to pump as much money as they wish into elections.
Fugging treason.

[ladjf]

11. I agree. nt

[bluethruandthru]

14. [phone] n/t

[Parker CA]

16. Absolutely. The veil has officially been removed. Get 'em out. We can only hope. nt

[Poll_Blind]

2. Impeach 'em. n/t

PB

[Bitwit1234]

4. Do you think we could get someone to make up a petition

to send to the House of Representatives to start impeachment proceedings against them.

[Control-Z]

8. I know we have some pretty bright lawyers

on DU. Maybe one of them will chime in.

Someone needs to do something other than just speculate. This seems criminal to me.

[redirish28]

5. Between Roberts and these two we are in for a VERY scary court system

[gratuitous]

6. Well, there would be an ethical debate

If either Scalia or Thomas had any ethics. But they don't, so the debate is moot. And speaking of judges corrupting the system, here's a little tidbit about what sort of relief investors, stockholders and other interested parties could expect from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/19/AR2010101907216.html

In a notice recently released by the CFTC, Painter said Judge Bruce Levine, his longtime colleague, had a secret agreement with a former Republican chairwoman of the agency to stand in the way of investors filing complaints with the agency.

"On Judge Levine's first week on the job, nearly twenty years ago, he came into my office and stated that he had promised Wendy Gramm, then Chairwoman of the Commission, that we would never rule in a complainant's favor," Painter wrote. "A review of his rulings will confirm that he fulfilled his vow," Painter wrote.

Painter continued: "Judge Levine, in the cynical guise of enforcing the rules, forces pro se complainants to run a hostile procedural gauntlet until they lose hope, and either withdraw their complaint or settle for a pittance, regardless of the merits of the case."

The CFTC oversees trading of the nation's most important commodities, including oil, gold and cotton. The agency's administrative law judges handle cases in which investors allege that trading professionals or financial firms violated the rules.

Oh, and Wendy Gramm? Yep, the wife of our old pal Phil Gramm from Texas, who was so instrumental in destroying the regulatory framework for the nation's investment/financial/banking system. If you were rube enough to wander into the Republican casino, you sure as shit couldn't expect any relief from the referees paid to keep the system honest and fair.

But nobody at the agency will comment on Judge Levine's corruption, because it's a "personnel matter." Neither Judge Levine nor Wendy Gramm are answering any questions about this, either. Isn't that nice?

[monmouth]

7. Between these two asses and Mrs. Thomas I think it's time Roberts

had word and started acting like a boss. This entire court, excepting of course our women and guy, need to be thoroughly re-examined.

[MerryBlooms]

9. Pffft, unfortunately, ethics never crosses these asshats minds.

I doubt anything will come from any of these revelations - the country seems hell bent and good with the self-destruct mode, when it comes to the 'high' (in apparently more ways than one) court.

[BrklynLiberal]

10. The judges are wholey owned subisidiaries....

[Control-Z]

12. I was of the understanding

that justices were to maintain political neutrality. While they can have their beliefs and vote accordingly, aren't they required to refrain from affiliating with or endorsing any politician or political group?

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

13. As ususal Fat Tony's gonna tell us to go fuck ourselves. nt

[laughingliberal]

15. K & R nt

[G_j]

17. ..remembering Scalia going duck hunting w/ VP Cheney.

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