JONATHAN TURLEY

A recent report indicates that former judge Michael Mukasey’s special security detail cost the taxpayers $10,000 a day and over $28 million despite the fact that many people in the government doubted a serious threat against him from terrorists.
For the full story, click here Mukasey kept the security detail for nine years after his handling of a high-profile terrorism case. It remains unclear why such a detail would cost so much or why it was continued for so long. What is particularly worrisome is the effect on a judge’s independence in being the beneficiary of such largess from the government. It certainly raises legitimate questions about Mukasey’s judgment and sense of proportion in terms of risks versus precautions. Mukasey later wrote a startling op-ed questioning whether federal courts can handle terrorism cases despite doing so for many decades. Despite the human wave Democrats are doing for the judge, much remains to be answered about such prior views and judgments.