Local(Texas) judge says bring on the lawsuits

[Robbien]

Source: Houston Chronicle

As some judges in New Orleans disqualify themselves from handling lawsuits over the Deepwater Horizon rig deaths and oil spill, a Houston judge Friday made it clear he's willing and able.

U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes, whom BP lawyers requested by name to oversee pre-trial matters in all the federal lawsuits, met with lawyers on the first case filed in Houston federal court and talked about joining it with other lawsuits.

Hughes told the lawyers that he's handled complex matters before and that he has no conflict like the handful of judges in New Orleans and elsewhere who've recused themselves because of financial holdings or family ties to employees of the defendant companies or lawyers for those companies.

Hughes said he's posted his public financial disclosure on his own court website. Hughes owns some mineral rights and oil company stock but has no interest in the companies involved in the blowout and explosion that killed 11 and is wreaking economic and environmental havoc in the Gulf.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/7037579.html

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Crap

[aquart]

1. Shouldn't BP's request be the disqualifier?

[BP2]

2. Yeah, you'd think so. Rush Turdbaugh shops for doctors for his drug fix, while

BP shops for Judges to reduce their settlement for the damage they wreak on the environment.

Despicable :puke:

[Robbien]

3. One would think so

in a rational level playing field type world.

But we don't live there. We've followed that White Rabbit down the rabbit hole.

[Jumping John]

4. That judge looks like a cross between Dick Cheney and Texas Senator John Cornyn

[PDittie]

5. Backstory on Judge Hughes

He gets a lot of respect among the Houston legal community as a no-bullshit judge. Here's some local media coverage.

Houston Press (local alt weekly, part of the Village Voice Media family):

http://www.houstonpress.com/2002-09-26/best-of-houston/best-criminal-judge

Republican Lynn Hughes hardly blinked when he advanced from his state district court (a civil one, no less) to the federal bench some 12 years ago. That characteristic aplomb has yet to be erased by some of the most demanding cases at the federal courthouse. He's coupled a healthy disdain for the traditional veil of legalese with a quiet but firm demeanor that has established him as one of the most independent jurists anywhere. Hughes demanded answers in a shady immunity deal for the notorious Graham brothers. And he didn't shy away from forcing the government to admit to submitting a false affidavit against an ex-CIA agent and lying to a grand jury in a bank fraud case. By now, his straightforward search for the truth is legendary among lawyers.

He busts the balls of federal prosecutors on a routine basis... but usually it's in favor business executives and attorneys. From Houston's Clear Thinkers, a blog by a local Republican lawyer who's also big on business:

http://blog.kir.com/archives/2006/04/lynn_hughes_str_1.asp

First, he hammered the FDIC with a record sanctions award in the long-running case against Maxxam chairman Charles Hurwitz.

Then, he challenged the Enron Task Force's bludgeoning of a plea bargain from a mid-level former Enron executive.

Now, U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes accused federal prosecutors of "reckless and conscious indifference" for bringing a fraud charge against Oklahoma lawyer John Claro and said he would award attorney's fees to Claro under the Hyde Act that provides sanctions for bad-faith prosecutions.

Plenty of embedded links at both those excerpts. And lastly, Judgepedia.

http://judgepedia.org/index.php/Lynn_Hughes

My personal opinion is that BP plaintiffs could do a whole lot worse than this guy. What he most certainly will do is disallow any damage claims he considers "frivolous", which is probably the worst case scenario for those who litigate to be 'made whole'.

[LiberalFighter]

6. Besides his own financial disclosures are his wife's included?

Does he have any activities involving the oil industry?

Personally, Texas shouldn't have any judicial control over the matter. If Louisiana doesn't have any un-biased judges to handle the case then maybe it should go to New York or DC.

[anigbrowl]

8. Texas is quite an appropriate venue

BP has its HQ in Houston. Remember this is federal rather than state jurisdiction. Texas arguably has better resources to deal with it quickly.

It disappoints me that the OP and other commenters see this as an automatic negative apparently without knowing the first thing about the judge. Oh, and anyone going to court has input into who hears their case. I think people are reading too much into this news.

[LiberalFighter]

10. I would think that with the oil rig off of Louisiana and not Texas

That Louisiana be first appropriate. Then if it involved multiple than consider NY or DC.

[ck4829]

7. Hey kids, if you ever go to trial for something, be sure to ask for the Judge who thinks you're cool

Oh wait, we regular citizens can't do that, only corporate SUPER-CITIZENS can.

[panzerfaust]

9. Please do NOT insult the Judge

After all, you may be talking to a future BP VP.

[Jurgenmuller1]

11. Corruption?

This Judge Lynn Hughes seems really corrupt, many other people have suffered because of this Judge making unfair or corrupt judgments. See also these links about the same judge Lynn Hughes, it looks like the big companies such as BP, Houston Casualty Company and Maxxam amongst others want to use that Judge when in trouble as he is clearly incompetent, bad, biased or corrupt or all of those: Just search Google and Yahoo.

http://www.wikio.com/themes/Lynn+Hughes
The Judge has links to the Oil giant and gets royalties

http://www.caymannetnews.com/letters.php?news_id=21223&start=0&category_id=9
Houston Casualty refuse to pay some insurance proceeds and insist on using Judge Lynn Hughes!

http://www.therobingroom.com/Judge.aspx?ID=996
It goes on to state that Judge Lynn Hughes should be impeached!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3324029.html
It really seems that the this is the Judge the big corporations prefer when up against environmental matters as well.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/26/1650101/bp-wants-houston-judge-with-oil.html
Judge Hughes has collected Royalties from several oil companies

So how come this is all possible?

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=email_en&sid=adwKVOLr8D4w
Amazing article from Bloomberg just highlighting the problems

I would not be surprised if Judge Lynn Hughes is bribed to make certain rulings for these corporations, there must be something going on behind the scenes since these corporations are all asking for him to.