US Justice Scalia gets Cheney case recusal request

[Robbien]

WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court said on Monday it referred to Justice Antonin Scalia a request that he remove himself from a case about Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force because their recent duck-hunting trip raised questions about his impartiality.

The Sierra Club environmental group, which sued Cheney for the task force papers, filed a motion last week asking that Scalia disqualify himself from the case because the January trip had created "an appearance of impropriety." It said Scalia's removal would "restore public confidence in the integrity of our nation's highest court."

The justices said in a brief order, "In accordance with its historic practice, the court refers the motion to recuse in this case to Justice Scalia." It was not clear when Scalia would respond to the request. He has defended his decision to go on the trip and said his impartiality could not be reasonably questioned.

According to the motion, Scalia and his daughter were Cheney's guests on Air Force Two on a Jan. 5 flight to Louisiana. Cheney and Scalia were guests of the president of an energy services company on a duck-hunting vacation.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N01274412.htm

[joeunderdog]

1. And then the fox said...

"How do you like your hens? Baked or deep fried?"

[Supormom]

2. Are they the only organizatin to make this request?

I would think the ACLU would have taken action by now.

[burythehatchet]

3. ACLU has no standing in the case

SIerra is a plaintiff

[cosmokramer]

4. Antonine Scalia is the devil.

[jackstraw45]

5. How about corrupt and possibly criminal?

How many other Kansas-like cases are out there during his career?

I cannot BELIEVE there isn't more of an investigation going on.

[KoKo]

6. "Cheney's Guests on Air Force 2?" Taxpayer dollars for Duck Hunting?

And he brings along his daughter? I remember when John Sununu was fired for using Govt. plane to go on trip to further his stamp collecting hobby!

This group just throws in in the public and press's face and says: FU!

[Robbien]

7. Nope, not FU. He said "Quack Quack"

Which is somehow worse. He just demeans the whole judicial process.

Scalia is blatantly saying he feels he is above the law. And in this case he seems to be. There is no other governing body to go to and ask that Scalia be taken off this case.

[Skittles]

8. QUACK QUACK

f***ing a**hole

[schultzee]

9. And the USA is sliding into corporatism (fascism)

[ladjf]

13. global slavery.

[benfranklin1776]

19. That he is.

He is utterly contemptous of the fundamental bedrock principle of the very system he is sworn to uphold, which is fairness and impartiality. Absent those qualities a jurist is reduced to the level of a functionary, rubber stamp hack for the ruling power elite.

[Mel]

10. Scalia is scum!

and he should be kicked off the courts for treason!

This is according to Vincent Bugliosi, the former Los Angeles deputy District Attorney who first came to public attention during his successful prosecution of Charles Manson and his latest book about the 2000 coup 'Betrayal of America'

JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA'S obvious conflict of interest with two of his sons working in the law firms of Ted Olson and Barry Richard, attorneys representing George W. Bush's legal interest in the cases regarding the 2000 Presidential election with one son actually working on Bush vs. Gore for which there was only one decision, that being to "recuse" himself.

[Kolesar]

11. Scalia's conflict-of-interest is depicted well in the film "Unprecedented"

The movie of how they stole the 2000 election

[CHestonsucks]

12. Go Mel!

"Justice" Scalia has already indicated HIMSELF to be beyond even the appearance of being less-than-impartial. In other words, in his subjective opinion, an a priori objective finding of compromised judgement is impossible.

"Plurality should not be posited unless it is necessary."

-Ockham

[bushisanidiot]

14. Supreme Court Asks Scalia to recuse himself and if he doesn't it is proof

that he wants to stay and hear the case in order to defend Cheney.

[T Bone]

27. and if he doesn't and other justices think he SHOULD ?

Maybe one of them who would have voted with him will decide to vote the other way if they think he should have recused himself. Maybe even two of them would do it ? nah, probably not.

We can dream though.

[Skittles]

30. LOL! THAT BOTTOM PHOTO!

WHAT A F***ING MORON!

[Stephanie]

15. Does CHENEY have to account for this at all?

Cheney and Scalia were guests of the president of an energy services company?

Who? How much was the trip worth? Isn't this a violation? What if Gore did it?

[Blue-Jay]

17. If Gore had been in a similar situation,

the Pukes would've been on his ass like funk on a monkey. THIS is why we need effective Liberal media outlets.

Quack quack, dickhead.

[dfong63]

16. the man has lost whatever pretense of judicial impartiality he had

[pacifictiger]

21. does anyone know about Scalia's personal life?

Is he italian catholic? Was he appointed by Reagan?

A book I read years ago called "in god's name" - really hard to get a hold of in this country (I heard they bought up many of the copies so it would not be widely distributed) - was written by an acclaimed english investigative journalist who looked into the events surrounding the untimely death of the pope that johnpaul succeeded, mid 70's I think it was. It was all about incredibly complex interweavings of the vatican bank, the mafia, prominent politically connected US catholic leaders. The pope died after being in that position for just a few days. He was not ill, and there was a rush to bury him without an explanation as to why he died. The author proposed he was killed because at the top of his agenda was launching an investigation into the vatican banking system for what he considered questionable dealings. Many of the people named as sources in the course of his investigation mysteriously disappeared or were killed. Others informants he said he kept anonymous out of concern for their safety.

I keep thinking more and more that the mafia has gone "underground" white collar respectable image, since the well publicized supposed breakup of the crime families - certain proteges would have wanted to keep power and go somewhere - no doubt exchanged prohibition booze profiteering for drug running and corporate political (military?) controls, influencing both political parties and the legal system to make sure they come out smelling like a rose either way (isn't quietly installing judges a mafia tactic too?). Why is it that so many recent leaders of this country have been compelled to get the "blessing" of the vatican - Reagan in particular, and now Chaney just dropped by? US cia and certain other govt tactics seem to me to be very mafioso in style, and growing more so with boldness as the days progress. Passing themselves off as pious churchgoers, while engaging in hardball "negotiating" and engineering chaos behind closed doors for the sake of profit and control. We've been granted an offer and we're being kept in no position to refuse.

[loudsue]

28. Great research, Pacifictiger....

Thank you for raising the level of this discussion! I've read snippits about how totally bizarre the death of the previous Pope was, and due to my personal knowledge of the Catholic church's slime games, I could easily belive it.

The Catholic church isn't the only corrupt church (see the Christian Coalition, started by Baptists)...but the Catholic church is far and above the wealthiest organization in the the world.....bar none. Even after a few palty billion paid out for lawsuits on child molestation charges. (Don't, for a minute, think Catholics have a monopoly on that market!)

Again....Great post!!

:kick:

[pacifictiger]

31. Yes loudsue,

I have thought too that Pat Robertson's christian coalition also is part of the picture - he was involved in a BCCI (jokingly referred to as the Bank of Corporate Crooks International) bank scandal a few years ago. His cog in the wheel job description has been propaganda and wealth collection.

A lot of politically related seemingly unconnected events so often make no sense if we look at them piecemeal as just that. But if you look at them through the lens of a pattern in the global context of the past 100 years or so (particularly since massive european, and now former spanish catholic mexico etc. american, immigration to this country) the picture starts to make a whole lot more sense - the goal of contined control of the world's people and resources by the power brokers of old europe - the oligarch families and friends, using their criminal elements, and the catholic see of rome.

[wabeewoman]

18. Is there no way to remove him?

Has a sitting supreme court judge EVER been removed from office?

[Malva Zebrina]

20. there should be a way to remove him

and anyone else who so blatantlhy and arrogantly abuses the system and the people of the United States of America.

Consorting with Cheney? That has got to say something. But we all knew that from the beginning when the Supreme Court illegally appointed George Bush the idiot, as a president-or to be more specific, the presidunce.

[indypaul]

24. Impeachment

is the only way. With Republican House of Rep, Senate
and White House all equals "fat chance."

[DiverDave]

22. If it walks like a duck

and quacks...oh, you get it.
I say impanel a grand jury.
This is tampering, and a whole lotta other crimes.
Where is the Democratic party??
Damnit, I want an open government!

[boobooday]

23. Criminals on the court

Let's face it, old Scalia already proved his loyalty when he voted to overrule the will of the American people and put Bush in the White House.

What is he NOT capable of?

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[Just Me]

25. This is good,...isn't this a good thing?!?!?!?

The Supremes have submitted a request that Scalia recuse himself. Will he refuse the request? Is he an idiot? Ummm,...okay, I withdraw the "idiot" question.

What will be the next step? Will he do an "activist" judge thingy like Roy? :D

[Rex]

26. Scalia's response - let them eat quackers

Quack quack!

[Catherine Vincent]

29. Scarface Scalia says

Over his dead, bloated body....