On the Death of Supreme Court Junket King Scalia

[Octafish]

Supreme Court justices as much as anyone can appreciate free stuff.



On the Death of Supreme Court Junket King Scalia

by DAVE LINDORFF
CounterPunch, FEBRUARY 15, 2016

It’s appropriate that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died at a luxury resort while freeloading as the guest of thus far unidentified wealthy sponsors as one of 40 guests at a private quail-hunting vacation party.

The resort where he died, Cibolo Ranch Resort, located on land stolen by its founder from the Apache and Comanche people in the Big Bend region of west Texas, is a posh retreat favored by the ultra rich, offering rooms priced from $350 to $800 a night — and it’s a safe bet that the bed Scalia died in was located in a top-priced room — and that the credit card that was swiped to pay for it didn’t have his name on it. (According to one report, the guests at the gathering had their bills covered by the resort’s owner, John Poindexter, a mullti-millionaire real estate owner, rancher and former investment banker.)

The acerbic, blunt-speaking Scalia made his name as a High Court judge accepting freebies from wealthy businesspeople and right-wing outfits like the Federalist Society, even taking free trips and vacation junkets from the likes of the aptly-titled “Vice” President Dick Cheney back in 2004 when Cheney had a case pending before the court involving an effort to force the VP to disclose what oil company executives had attended a closed meeting in his office on energy policy early in the first term of the Bush-Cheney administration. (Scalia, notably, did not recuse himself from hearing that case.)

We don’t at this point know what Scalia’s final junket was about — Poindexter makes a point of saying it “wasn’t about politics or law — but it’s no surprise he wasn’t there on his own dime. It wasn’t the way Scalia operated. Indeed, so egregious and frequent were Scalia’s junkets that in October 2015 the New York Times wrote an editorial condemning them [1] and calling for a reform to make such legalized bribery illegal.

CONTINUED...

http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/02/15/on-the-death-of-supreme-court-junket-king-scalia-dies/

[randys1]

1. Yes, the land was stolen and blood was spilled in the process.

THom hartmann is reading some of the HORRIFIC RACIST GARBAGE that came out of this persons mouth

[Octafish]

10. What Role Have Scalia And Thomas Played In The Koch Money Machine?

By Ian Millhiser on Oct 20th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
ThinkProgress.org

Earlier today, ThinkProgress’ Lee Fang revealed several documents outlining the details of one of right-wing billionaire Charles Koch’s secret convenings of corporate political donors. As Koch revealed to the Wall Street Journal in 2006, the purpose of these meetings is to recruit “captains of industry” to fund the conservative infrastructure of front groups, political campaigns, think tanks and media outlets. Buried in this document, however, is a surprising revelation about the role two supposedly impartial jurists have played in these extended fundraising solicitations: “Past meetings have featured such notable leaders as Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.”

A Supreme Court justice lending a hand to a political fundraising event would be a clear violation of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, if it wasn’t for the fact that the nine justices have exempted themselves from much of the ethical rules governing all other federal judges. Nevertheless, a spokesperson for the Supreme Court tells ThinkProgress that “he Justices look to the Code of Conduct for guidance” in determining when they may participate in fundraising activities. Under that Code:

Fund Raising. A judge may assist nonprofit law-related, civic, charitable, educational, religious, or social organizations in planning fund-raising activities and may be listed as an officer, director, or trustee. A judge may solicit funds for such an organization from judges over whom the judge does not exercise supervisory or appellate authority and from members of the judge’s family. Otherwise, a judge should not personally participate in fund-raising activities, solicit funds for any organization, or use or permit the use of the prestige of judicial office for that purpose. A judge should not personally participate in membership solicitation if the solicitation might reasonably be perceived as coercive or is essentially a fund-raising mechanism.

Scalia and Thomas’ participation in these fundraising gatherings also call into question whether they can be impartial in any number of cases brought by Koch-aligned groups seeking immunity to the law. Most significantly, the Koch brothers have contributed significantly to efforts to stop the Affordable Care Act from going into effect, and a number of attendees at the Koch’s secret meetings include health industry moguls with a direct financial stake in the litigation challenging health reform (Justice Thomas’ wife, of course, actively lobbied against the Affordable Care Act).

Court observers hoping that Scalia and Thomas will recuse themselves from cases backed by the “Kochtopus” shouldn’t hold their breath, however. During the Bush Administration, Justice Scalia infamously refused to recuse himself from a suit against Vice President Dick Cheney even after it was revealed that Scalia and Cheney went on a duck hunting trip together during the pendancy of Cheney’s case. Scalia also came under ethical fire when he skipped Chief Justice Roberts’ swearing in ceremony to attend a junket to a Ritz-Carlton resort funded by the right-wing Federalist Society; and Thomas accepted more than $42,000 in free gifts in just six years on the Supreme Court.

CONTINUED with LOTS o' LINKS...

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2010/10/20/125384/scalia-thomas-koch/

[Gabi Hayes]

2. what are you, a communist?

How DARE you impugn the integrity of the finest legal mind in the history of the galaxy (at least)?

[Octafish]

11. Barzini explained about that in ''The Godfather''...

"After all, we are not communists." (LAUGHTER)



In real life, Scalia's son got a nice law job after 5-4, not as a thank you or anything like that.

UNPAID BILLS

Bush Florida 2000 recount committee still owes lobbyist's former firm $314k

White House directs queries to RNC

By John Byrne | RAW STORY Editor, May 5, 2005

EXCERPT...

Bush’s decision to employ Greenberg took flak from some Democrats at the time. Shortly before the case came before the Supreme Court, the firm announced the hire of John Scalia, son of Justice Antonin Scalia. Gore’s attorneys and ethics experts didn’t press the issue at the time, saying John Scalia wasn’t directly connected to the case.

The formal announcement of Scalia’s hire came on Jan. 9, 2001, after the court had ruled. Abramoff’s hire was announced two days before—along with the former DeLay deputy Rudy, Vasell, and Boulanger.

CONTINUED...

http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/abramoff_florida_recount_bush_505.htm

Which is nice.

[heaven05]

3. good riddance

[Octafish]

13. There's hope for the future. Didya see Elena's on the hunt, too?

As Solicitor General, she helped rock Don Siegelman's world by not only sending him back, she extended his imprisonment by years.

Elena Kagan - Willing Accomplice

Michael Collins, June 22nd, 2010

EXCERPT...

Elena Kagan, Willing Accomplice in the Siegelman Affair

Under pressure, the Obama Justice Department investigated the Siegelman case. Justice chose to let members of the prosecution team, political appointees form the previous administration, conduct the review. Those accused of perpetrating a massive injustice behaved predictably. They exonerated themselves.

Then, when Siegelman appealed his case to the Supreme Court in 2009, President Obama's Attorney General dispatched Solicitor General Elena Kagan to argue against the appeal in November.

Before accepting the case, Elena Kagan knew or should have known: that the U.S. Attorney who began the Siegelman investigation was closely tied to Karl Rove; that Siegelman never benefited personally from the contribution to an education funding initiative; that the case was so outrageous, forty-four attorneys general petitioned Congress; and, that the presiding judge in the case owned a major interest in a defense firm that received a $178 million federal contract between Siegelman's indictment and trial, a massive conflict of interest.

Most revealing, before her argument against the former governor's appeal, Kagan knew or should have known the following. After two charges had been dropped in a 2009 appeal, Justice Department attorneys recommended a twenty year sentence instead of the seven years already rendered. Fewer offenses for sentencing meant thirteen additional years by the strange logic of federal justice.

Kagan knew or should have known all this and more. That didn't stop her from arguing that Don Siegelman should be kept in jail.

Without any doubt, Kagan knew that her position as U.S. Solicitor General was voluntary; that she could simply refuse to argue for a further miscarriage of justice.

Kagan knew what she was doing when she argued against Don Siegelman's appeal. She did it of her own free will. Therefore, she deserves a judgment based on her actions.

That judgment is that Elena Kagan was a willing accomplice in one of the most outrageous political prosecutions of our time. Why should anyone ever trust her?

SOURCE: http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/TPV3/Voices.php/2010/06/22/kaganaccomplice

[phantom power]

4. “wasn’t about politics or law" -- yeah, sure it wasn't

Rich people are just being friendly-like, when they shower powerful politicians with free shit.

[Octafish]

14. Clarence Thomas made fast if slippery friends at Bohemian Grove.

Justice Thomas reported a wealth of gifts

In the last six years he has accepted free items valued at $42,200, the most on the high court.

December 31, 2004|Richard A. Serrano and David G. Savage | Times Staff Writers

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has accepted tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts since joining the high court, including $1,200 worth of tires, valuable historical items and a $5,000 personal check to help pay a relative's education expenses.

SNIP...

He also took a free trip aboard a private jet to the exclusive Bohemian Grove club in Northern California -- arranged by a wealthy Texas real estate investor who helped run an advocacy group that filed briefs with the Supreme Court.

Those and other gifts were disclosed by Thomas under a 1978 federal ethics law that requires high-ranking government officials, including the nine Supreme Court justices, to file a report each year that lists gifts, money and other items they have received.

Thomas has reported accepting much more valuable gifts than his Supreme Court colleagues over the last six years, according to their disclosure forms on file at the court.

CONTINUED...

http://articles.latimes.com/2004/dec/31/nation/na-gifts31

Wanna bet that's just the tip of the iceberg, those gifts, huh? Imagine Elena Kagan at Davos?

[JEB]

5. Last act.

His admirers call this doctrinaire Catholic jurist a “man of God.” If so, and if his professed belief in a supreme being turns out to be correct, he will be facing a challenging hearing at heaven’s gate, and not just for his demonstrated fondness for other people’s money. He also goes to his day of judgement with a lot of blood staining his robes — including, perhaps, that of Gustavo Garcia, whose petition to the Supreme Court for a stay of execution in Texas was denied last Wednesday by Scalia, in what appears to have been his last official act.

[Octafish]

15. It's how he was raised. NAZI.

In 2007, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. told us the story about just-us Scalia at my alma mater, Wayne State University.



Kennedy called George W Bush "that sonofabitch" and said the guy was a crook, turning over the government to the lobbyists and gangsters who've emptied our Treasury; polluted our water, land, air and children; and used humanity as cannon fodder and slave labor. At that point, I yelled a particularly loud "Yeeeaaaaaahh!!!!!" which elicited a smile from the podium. He also pegged ABCNNBCBSFoxNoiseNutwork for what they are, corrupt.

Among other things, he called Antonin Scalia the son of a Nazi and explained why. It had to do with Tony's dad, who was one of the founders of the American fascist party, supporter of Mussolini and Hitler. I would've taken notes, but I wanted to hear everything the guy said. Alan Dershowitz chronicled the guy's beliefs.

That's history. What Gustavo Garcia and now Antonin Scalia face is eternity.

[nichomachus]

6. Scalia was the poster boy for conflicts of interests

He had no problem with accepting freebies from people with business before the court. It's not wonder they're keeping the names of the other "guests" secret. It would be very revealing.

In fact, the guy who invited him didn't know him and said he invited him at someone else's suggestion. My guess is that there was someone there who wanted to plant a bug in Scalia's ear about a pending or upcoming case.

[MurrayDelph]

7. And never forget,

when he was called out on his conflict of interests, his responses were

"Quack! Quack!"

and

“To my critics, I say, 'Vaffanculo' ” (which was accompanied with this visual)





If I could draw, I would love to see an obituary cartoon with Scalia at the gates of Heaven and St. Peter telling him to Vaffanculo (with the gesture)

[nichomachus]

8. Did he actually say it -- or just use the gesture? nt

[MurrayDelph]

9. He did both

together.

[Octafish]

17. Scalia once lobbied Obama advisor to have Elena Kagan nominated to the Supreme Court

BY CNN WIRE, FEBRUARY 15, 2016

When the shocking news of Justice Antonin Scalia’s passing hit Saturday night, my mind raced back to a White House Correspondents Association dinner seven years ago, when we were seated together.

We bantered about my hometown of Chicago, where he had taught law before ascending to the bench. He opined on wine and music and generally lived up to his reputation as a man who told and enjoyed a good story.

And then our conversation took an unexpected turn.

Justice David Souter, Scalia’s longtime colleague on the court, had just announced his retirement, creating a vacancy for President Obama to fill. Scalia figured that as senior adviser to the new president, I might have some influence on the decision — or at least enough to pass along a message.

“I have no illusions that your man will nominate someone who shares my orientation,” said Scalia, then in his 23rd year as the court’s leading and most provocative conservative voice. “But I hope he sends us someone smart.”

A little taken aback that he was engaging me on the subject, I searched for the right answer, and lamely offered one that signaled my slight discomfort with the topic. “I’m sure he will, Justice Scalia.”

He wasn’t done. Leaning forward, as if to share a confidential thought, he tried again.

“Let me put a finer point on it,” the justice said, in a lower, purposeful tone of voice, his eyes fixed on mine. “I hope he sends us Elena Kagan.”

CONTINUED...

http://wtkr.com/2016/02/15/scalia-once-lobbied-obama-advisor-to-have-elena-kagan-nominated-to-the-supreme-court/

Absolutely, nichomachus! I'd like to know who brought him to the Texas quail hunt.

I'd also like to know whose guest he and Elena Kagan were in the OP photo. As Solicitor General, she's the one who helped return Don Siegelman to the pen.

[olddots]

12. camoflage gives me a woody

not really but I'm not a turd maggot repukian .

[Octafish]

16. The legacy of Antonin Scalia: Get Over It. We're a Police State Now.

One observer noted:

The legacy of Antonin Scalia

By Tom Carter
World Socialist Web Site, 15 February 2016

EXCERPT...

(Hagiography from Dems and pukes alike...) Utter nonsense. Throughout his time on the Supreme Court, Scalia had more in common with a medieval cleric at a witch-burning than a classical bourgeois jurist presiding over a court of law. Scalia determined the result first and then bludgeoned the law into the predetermined shape. Precedent, history and facts were ignored or falsified as necessary to produce the desired result.

Appointed by Ronald Reagan and confirmed unanimously in 1986 by Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress, Scalia’s career on the Supreme Court included some of the following highlights:

The stolen election of 2000. In December 2000, the Supreme Court intervened to halt the counting of votes in Florida and install George W. Bush in the White House. The 5-4 ruling in the case of Bush v. Gore, in which the justices cast their votes according to naked factional interests, was a milestone in the decay of American democracy. According to Scalia, “there is no universal right of suffrage.” When later asked about the ruling, Scalia angrily replied, “Get over it.”

Dictatorship and the “war on terror.” Scalia was a major force behind the infiltration of fascistic doctrines into Supreme Court jurisprudence, under the guise of phrases such as the “unitary executive theory,” “executive privilege,” the “separation of powers,” the president’s role as “commander in chief” and “deference” to the executive. Under these doctrines, the president enjoys unchecked “wartime” powers to override democratic rights, and the courts and judges have no power to intervene. The essential content of these doctrines is indistinguishable from the “state of exception” theory of Nazi “crown jurist” Carl Schmitt (1888-1985).

During Scalia’s tenure on the Supreme Court, the court refused to disturb lower court decisions using “state secrets” doctrine to block challenges to torture, spying and assassination. The Bush and Obama administrations consistently invoked the “state secrets” doctrine to block court proceedings that sought to expose their crimes. For example, lower courts invoked “state secrets” to refuse to hear the case of Mohamed v. Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc. in 2010, and the Supreme Court declined to hear the case in 2011, leaving the lower court decision intact.

CONTINUED...

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2016/02/15/scal-f15.html

Wars without end for profits without cease. Amen.

[JEB]

18. K&R for the original post and subsequent informative posts and links.

[Octafish]

19. Scalia asked for Elena KAGAN by name.

Which is odd, considering her background. Then I remember Kagan worked, with Rove, against Don Siegelman...

Siegelman Judge Asked To Recuse As Kagan, Rove Oppose Reviews

by Andrew Kreig
06/12/2010 05:12 am ET | Updated May 25, 2011

EXCERPT...

Scrushy and Siegelman have argued that the judge must be disqualified after being enriched from $300 million in Bush-era contracts for his closely held company Doss Aviation to perform such work as refueling Air Force planes and training Air Force pilots.

"Quite simply, there is no valid reason for this Court's failure to dispose of this motion in
a timely fashion," wrote Scrushy's attorneys last week.

The former HealthSouth CEO's conviction is based on his donations to the Alabama Education Foundation in 1999 and 2000 at the request of then-governor Siegelman. In June 2007, Fuller ordered seven-year terms for defendants. The judge sent them immediately to prison in shackles with no appeal bond, and with solitary confinement initially for Siegelman that prevented any contact with his family and the news media.

A Republican former billionaire, Scrushy has argued that he was an innocent bystander caught up in a plan by the Bush Justice Department to eliminate the Democrat Siegelman from politics. His health care business collapsed early this decade amid complaints of fraud. But all of his criminal convictions were for the gifts to the foundation. "I'm the first person in history," Scrushy has said, "to be sent to prison for making a charitable donation."

SNIP...

$50 Billion In Air Force Contracts At Stake

Meanwhile, I reported last week that a factor prompting Siegelman's prosecution was the aim of some Republicans to seek contracts valued from $35 billion to $50 billion for Europe's multi-national consortium EADS and Northrop Grumman to build next-generation Air Force refueling tankers.

The EADS-led plan would replace Boeing Corp., the previous tanker builder. Years ago, EADS used competitive intelligence agents to show that Boeing had bribed an Air Force procurement officer. My column noted that an EADS victory would enable an assembly plant in Alabama, as advocated by four European heads of state, major global financiers and some U.S. politicians.

"The ring of truth in the article," Siegelman wrote me last week after publication and follow-up ,"is that Republicans wanted EADS, and I was close to Boeing because I had helped them expand their National Missile Defense Center in Huntsville and had them locate a manufacturing facility for the Delta IV and Delta II Rockets in Decatur, AL."

CONTINUED...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-kreig/siegelman-judge-asked-to_b_534628.html

Thank you for grokking, JEB.