Scalia & Cheney take hunting trip as Energy Case goes to court.

[hezekkia]

surprise, surprise.

Cheney Hunting Trip With Scalia Raises Impartiality Questions
By David G. Savage, LA 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 south Louisiana, just three weeks after the high court agreed to take up the vice president's appeal involving lawsuits over his handling of the administration's energy task force.

While Scalia and Cheney are avid hunters and long-time friends, several experts in legal ethics questioned the timing of their trip.

"The better part of wisdom should have led Justice Scalia to avoid the vice president while this case was pending before the court," said New York University law professor Stephen Gillers.

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 then-Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay, when he was formulating the president's energy policy...

"I do not think my impartiality could reasonably be questioned," Scalia said today in a written response to an inquiry about the hunting trip. "Vice President Cheney was indeed among the party of about nine who hunted from the camp. Social contacts with high-level executive officials (including Cabinet officers) have never been thought improper for judges who may have before them cases in which those people are involved in their official capacity, as opposed to their personal capacity. For example, Supreme Court justices are regularly invited to dine at the White House, whether or not a suit seeking to compel or prevent certain presidential action is pending."

<snip>

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-011604duck_lat,1,7094291.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[rooboy]

1. Absolutely goddamn incredible.

Is there NOTHING that will outrage the American people? I can't think of any other country in the western world which would consider this acceptable. Lost for words.

[mike1963]

10. I was threatened with jail one time when I was a juror and said hi to

the defendant when we happened to meet in line in a cafeteria during recess. But I guess it's different when you're in the King's Court.
:eyes:

[Sperk]

2. America (as a whole) deserves bush and cheney

how very, very sad.

[aquart]

3. Remember that early lie about avoiding even the appearance of impropriety?

[madmax]

4. This is outrageous.

I'm so angry I can't write.

[kskiska]

5. What are these guys thinking?

I know, I know.
:crazy:

[young_at_heart]

6. It sure would be nice if our country cared about this!!!

It bothers me that Cheney has arrogantly refused to open his energy task force files....shouldn't the country have a right to know what our elected leaders are doing? Why does everything have to be so secret?

[madmax]

7. Welcome to DU hezekkia

:hi:

[qanda]

8. Please tell me that I'm dreaming

That would be the only explanation for what I just read.

[terrisel]

9. False analogy...and this guy is a judge?

Dining at the White House in an official capacity would be different from having a get together with the president and a handful of buddies in his private quarters.

The social hunting trip was wrong and he should recuse himself.

[PaDUer]

11. They're a waste

it goes to show the workings of the SELECTION.

[Gman]

12. Justice in this country became a mockery in December 2000

I for one am not the least bit surprised at this. There is no more justice in America. They don't even care to hide it anymore.

[Manix]

13. ...since Scalia appointed Cheney as VP we shouldn't be surprised...

..the whole Administration is corrupt!!

[bringiton]

14. Nothing surprises me anymore from this administration

I do have this gut feeling that something unethical is going to surface about Cheney that will hurt them politically. They are way too secretive.

[kodi]

15. what bold-faced deceit on fat tony's part.

there is not a single attorney in america who would not demand removal of a presiding judge in such a case, and scalia knows it.

the man is lying.

[Old and In the Way]

16. What a joke.

I love this line-

"Social contacts with high-level executive officials (including Cabinet officers) have never been thought improper for judges who may have before them cases in which those people are involved in their official capacity, as opposed to their personal capacity."

What's that supposed to mean? If he can't understand that Dick Cheney is the ultimate corrupt politician that make's US policy that directly benefits his financial/personal interests, he is too naive to be a SC justice. But it is so obvious that his partiality and politics trumps his judgement.

Perhaps he can be impeached with his fellow co-conspirators.

[stevedeshazer]

17. Outrageous

Truly outrageous.

Yet the Dem candidates are under total scrutiny.

[Voltaire99]

18. Hope the ducks take a giant turd on both of 'em (n/t)

[Moderator]

19. LBN Rules... locking

Hate to keep a good thread down, but the rules for posting in the Latest Breaking News Forum require posters to use the published title of linked-to articles in their subject line. In this case, the subject line should read "Cheney Hunting Trip With Scalia Raises Impartiality Questions."

Please feel free to begin a new thread about this topic, using the correct subject line. Also, feel free to provide a link back to this now-locked thread, for continuity.

Thanks!

DU Moderator