We all know, that is if we ever took a civics class that there are three branches of the government that our Founders intended, Executive, Legislative and Judicial…..and the later has to be the “referee” that kept the peace and be the final word on debates among the first two…..is that about the way you learned it?
We have all heard the song about “activist judges” whenever there is a ruling that some do not agree with…….but that aside should judges be impartial? Of course they should!
By now we have been informed that SCOTUS will hear the case of repealing health care or as sometime during the 2012 election cycle…interesting no? But wait! There is more…….
The justices agreed to hear the suit; indeed, a landmark 5 1/2-hour argument is expected in March, and the outcome is likely to further roil the 2012 presidential race, which will be in full swing by the time the court’s decision is released.
The lawyer who will stand before the court and argue that the law should be thrown out is likely to be Paul Clement, who served as U.S. solicitor general during the George W. Bush administration.
Clement’s law firm, Bancroft PLLC, was one of almost two dozen firms that helped sponsor the annual dinner of the Federalist Society, a longstanding group dedicated to advocating conservative legal principles. Another firm that sponsored the dinner, Jones Day, represents one of the trade associations that challenged the law, the National Federation of Independent Business.
Another sponsor was pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc, which has an enormous financial stake in the outcome of the litigation. The dinner was held at a Washington hotel hours after the court’s conference over the case. In attendance was, among others, Mitch McConnell, the Senate’s top Republican and an avowed opponent of the healthcare law.
The featured guests at the dinner? Scalia and Thomas.
Is there a Code of Conduct of judges? Canon 4C, which states, “A judge may attend fund-raising events of law-related and other organizations although the judge may not be a speaker, a guest of honor, or featured on the program of such an event.“
Does anyone else see a problem in the making here?
If Chief Justice Roberts does NOT make these people recuse themselves then there should be a massive recall on the justices in question….including the Chief Justice!