East Coast judge to lead Kozinski inquiry

[struggle4progress]

Source: Legal Newsline

6/18/2008
by Chris Rizo

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)-U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has named a panel to conduct the judicial misconduct investigation of 9th U.S. Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski ...

The Kozinski investigation will be handled by the Philadelphia-based 3rd Circuit's Judicial Council, led by Chief Judge Anthony Scirica.

On the panel will be 3rd Circuit Judges Marjorie Rendell and Walter Stapleton; U.S. District Chief Judge Harvey Bartle III of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; and Chief Judge Garrett Brown of the District of New Jersey.

Kozinski was appointed to the San Francisco-based appeals court by President Ronald Reagan in 1985. He is considered by many legal observers a judicial conservative on most issues.

Read more: http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/213568-east-coast-judge-to-lead-kozinski-inquiry

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The "investigation" will be controlled by wingnuts:

Scirica, Anthony Joseph
... Nominated by Ronald Reagan on June 19, 1984 ...
http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid=2128

Rendell, Marjorie O.
... Nominated by William J. Clinton on November 19, 1993 ...
http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid=1992

Stapleton, Walter King
... Nominated by Richard M. Nixon on September 22, 1970 ...
http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid=2275

Bartle, Harvey III
... Nominated by George H.W. Bush on May 15, 1991 ...
http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid=111

Brown, Garrett E. Jr.
... Nominated by Ronald Reagan on October 23, 1985 ...
http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid=283


Related link:

Alex Kozinski suspends L.A. obscenity trial after conceding his website had sexual image
By Scott Glover
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 12, 2008
... Alex Kozinski, chief judge of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, granted a 48-hour stay in the obscenity trial of a Hollywood adult filmmaker after the prosecutor requested time to explore "a potential conflict of interest concerning the court having a . . . sexually explicit website with similar material to what is on trial here" ...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-me-kozinski12-2008jun12,0,7817399.story
related LBN threads:

9th Circuit's chief judge posted sexually explicit matter on his website
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3347938

9th Circuit judge had sexual images on Web page
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3348334

Judge invites probe into his steamy Web site
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=3351008

[babylonsister]

1. He'll probably get off with a few slaps on the fanny. nt

[Jefferson23]

2. Wow, what a surprise, a rigged court.

[Gman]

3. Judge Scrica???

Watergate Judge Scirica?

---------------------

On edit...

Wrong Judge Scrica: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Joseph_Scirica

[struggle4progress]

4. John Sirica died about fifteen years ago

John Sirica, Watergate Judge, Dies
By Bart Barnes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 15, 1992; Page A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/watergate/stories/siricaobit.htm

[DarthDem]

5. Wingnuts?

Circuit Judge Midge Rendell is not a "wingnut." She's Ed Rendell's wife and, as appeals court judges go, quite progressive. Judge Bartle also leans left and is very fair. Judge Scirica is moderate judicially but has an excellent reputation for fairness and objectivity, as does Judge Brown. I don't have any experience with Judge Stapleton.

Actually, this is a panel of judicial all-stars, and the Third Circuit is a good court in terms of ideology.

[struggle4progress]

6. The ideology of the various judges is clearly indicated by who appointed them

Neither Reagan nor Nixon appointed "moderates"

[struggle4progress]

7. Third Circuit is split 50-50 R-D so why pick almost all Rs for this panel?

The close split may somewhat restrain the right wing extremists but one does not expect any such moderating effect in a panel comprised almost entirely of rightwingers

[DarthDem]

8. More Complex . . . .

I practice law in part of the territory that the Third Circuit comprises. I've also practiced in the area covered by the Fourth Circuit - - before the mishandling of that court by the Bushidiots resulted in what is now generally considered to be an even "partisan" split in the Fourth.

The difference between the Third Circuit and the old Fourth Circuit is night and day, and Judge Bartle is not a tremedous ideologue, irrespective of who appointed him. The real George Bush appointed Souter, after all.

I think you have a good premise when you suggest that this whole fiasco might well end up with a wrist slap - - after all, federal judges probably aren't going to come down too hard on one of their own. In addition, the steps they can take against Kozinski are limited, since he's an Article III judge with life tenure. However, none of that has anything to with ideology; it's more driven by the system.

The chief delight for me, as a circuit court watcher, in this hilarious episode is the self-inflicted embarrassment of a strident, well-known conservative/libertarian. It's helpful in discrediting that sham philosophy in the place where it often most matters - - the federal courts.

[struggle4progress]

9. Thanks for the info

:)