The Senate trial for United States District Court Judge Thomas Porteous has been suspended for the the Jewish holiday. It will resume on Tuesday.
This testimony on Tuesday will continue to discuss both Article III and Article IV
Porteous – Motion to Dismiss Article III
Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr.’sMotion to Dismiss Article IV
Porteous Pre-Trial Statement
Porteous Pre-Trial Statement – Exhibits
I second Elaine’s laughter and sentiments about the decorum or lack thereof.
Blouise,
“I suspect many of them had very negative and traumatic potty training experiences as toddlers.”
LOL!
I believe that certain panel members’ display of disrepect for Professor Turley, Professor Pardo, and others is a poor reflection on those senators. It does not speak well of them.
Swarthmore mom,
It has been fascinating to watch but then I watched every minute of the “Watergate Hearings” … every minute … my husband would complain that everything was put on hold within the household (I aimed the remote at him and pushed the mute button) and my children could recite the names of all participants … I’ll never forget the moment Butterfield revealed the existence of the taping system and his role in operating it …
… just as I will never forget the several instances of McCaskill’s behavior or the fact that Senator Risch referred to the Prof as “Turley” without the benefit of his title … no Professor Turley, or Mr. Turley, Dr. Turley … just Turley. The disrespect for the defense team has been remarkably overt and intentionally emphasized by a great many of these “Impartial” jurors.
I suspect many of them had very negative and traumatic potty training experiences as toddlers.
Here’s the thread wherein the Prof discussed the subject (before the ruling):
http://jonathanturley.org/2009/09/09/now-playing-at-the-supremes-hillary-the-movie-the-sequel/
Blouise I have only watched for about twenty minutes. I worked for a state senate committee and saw the inner workings of committees,etc. Maybe I am cynical but it is just the way it is. We are moving farther from campaign finance reform with the Citizens United ruling so I expect things to get worse not better. It takes a lot more money to get elected statewide so the arrogance is more apparent. Refresh my memory bit I seem to recall that Prof. Turley was in favor of the Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court.
… immediate right hand of the Chair, as in next to
Amy Klobuchar — is she the one who couldn’t turn her blackberry alarm off so the Chair couldn’t rule on an objection and then had to reverse herself and re-rule because she was helping her “colleague” turn off her alarm? If Amy Klobuchar was seated at the right hand of the Chair, then that’s how she’s doing.
No joke
Swarthmore mom,
I don’t know how much of the “trial” you have been able to watch but I have watched the entire proceedings thus far and I am deeply appalled at the behavior of McCaskill and the majority of the other Senators towards the defense team and their witnesses.
I am reminded of my high school days when a particular group of boys or girls would decide that an individual, usually a less popular person, deserved their constant disdain. McCaskill and her merry band of like minded Senators seem to be reliving those days with a vengeance. They have the power and, by god, they’re going to throw it around. It is a heavenly place to be for those who relish bullying others. She claims to have a law degree and to have been a former prosecutor so the woman has no excuse for her behavior or for the behavior she allows.
I look forward with great anticipation to reading this Committee’s “impartial” summary to see if it reflects, in any way, what actually took place in that meeting room.
This Committee has proved to be a window into the inner workings of the legislature. Through that window we can see that there is something very, very wrong with our Senate and it needs to be fixed before they take the whole country down. After watching this mockery of the American Justice Ideal, one can no longer say …”oh, it’s just politics.”
Amy Klobuchar is on that committee. She is the former Hennepin County Attorney and is very smart. Since I have not watched it, how is she doing?
Yes and Perry the current governor of Texas will not have a televised debate with White….I wonder why….his pretty boy looks are great….but when he open his mouth…well…you can see all the oil…….money….Its to the incumbents advantage not to debate I hear….
I thought McCaskill would be a better senator. She just barely won. She is from Missouri, and that state is voting straight right wing republican these days. Carnahan looks like she is going to loose to Blunt. Missouri is getting worse than Texas.
Blouise,
of course she did…after all….she is a Senator…..and before I forget a Former Prosecutor…..now I know why the rules of evidence mean nothing to her……
She may not know the meaning to of the word impartial, Blouise.
She’s not too bright. She is a K Street funded politician after all. They are recruited on the ability to take corporate orders over actual intelligence.
“She said the panel, which is assigned with writing an impartial summary of the trial for the full Senate, would have it completed in advance of a Nov. 15 meeting. “(new orleans tims-picayune 9-16-2010 article)(emphasis added is mine)
I wonder if Madam Chair made that remark with a straight face.
Breath deep, drop your pants, spread your legs, bend over, grab your ankles and kiss any semblance of decency in this hearing good bye…. This is the most out-outrageous charges that I have ever heard of, as Frank as said Chase was Impeached….Political reasoning as well…..just change it to Corporate Greed…
article online from the new orleans tims-picayune 9-16-2010
Judge Thomas Porteous impeachment panel hears from Harahan lawyer
Published: Thursday, September 16, 2010, 9:35 PM Updated: Thursday, September 16, 2010, 9:47 PM
Bruce Alpert, Times-Picayune
Harahan lawyer Donald Gardner insisted that his gifts to New Orleans federal Judge Thomas Porteous were given out of friendship, and not influence the judge as he angrily tangled with the lead House prosecutor during day four of the Senate impeachment trial Thursday.
Adam Schiff, D-Calif, leads the five-member House team serving as prosecutors for the trial of U.S. District Judge Thomas Porteous.
It was the heavyweight bout in a trial that had dragged over the prevous two days as the House prosecutors try to convince the 12-member Senate Impeachment Trial Committee that Porteous is guilty of unethical behavior, including accepting gifts from parties with issues before his court and of lying in a bankrutpcy filing. If convicted Porteous will be removed from the bench and lose his pension.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the lead House prosecutor, demanded to know why Gardner didn’t tell his co-counsel in a complicated 1997 hospital case that he and an opposing attorney had given Porteous money to help defer the costs of the judge’s son’s 1994 internship with then-Sen. John Breaux, D-La.
It was an important issue, Schiff said, because the judge had refused to recuse himself from the case, saying he had received free lunches, but nothing else from lawyers involved in the case.
“You’re totally wrong,” Gardner said, adding that the money didn’t go to the judge. “It was a gift to a friend’s son. I’ve known Timothy Porteous since he was born.”
Schiff persisted, pointing to a transcript of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals proceeding on Porteous that set off the current impeachment trial, pointing out that two justices said Gardner had an ethical responsibility to disclose the financial contributions.
“They were witch hunting,” Gardner replied.
The senators listened attentively as Gardner explained how he became part of the legal team for Lifemark Hospitals of Louisiana in its battle with Liljeberg Enterprises for ownership of a Kenner hospital, given that he was not well-versed in the complicated federal legal issues involved.
He said a lawyer friend, then-Jefferson Parish Attorney Tom Wilkinson, had asked him to join the case at the request of Lifemark’s lawyer, and he had first refused. After some cajoling from Wilkinson, and a $100,000 fee, of which he said he gave $30,000 to Wilkinson, Gardner said he agreed to join the case.
When asked by a Porteous attorney why he attracted such a large fee, Gardner said he was hired as a “pretty face, someone who knew the judge.” He explained that opposing counsel was also friendly with the judge and Lifemark was concerned Porteous would favor that side, though Gardner insisted it didn’t matter.
Gardner said he had one demand, that he wouldn’t be a “whore,” which he defined as trying to get Judge Porteous to drop the case despite a provision in his contract that would have netted him an additional $100,000 if he persuaded the judge to give up the case.
Gardner and Schiff battled for about 45 minutes, constantly interrupting each other, with Schiff accusing Gardner of not letting him finish his sentences and Gardner accusing Schiff of taking his previous statements out of context.
Schiff suggested Gardner hadn’t answered truthfully during an FBI background check for Porteous’ confirmation as a federal judge, when he said the judge did not have a drinking problem.
Gardner said he was never even asked. The FBI agent’s questions about Porteous, he said, only lasted three minutes, with the key one being whether Porteous, then a Jefferson Parish judge, would make a competent federal judge. Gardner said he answered affirmatively.
“And he ended up (asking) did judge Porteous have any abhorrent sexual behavior, which I thought was strange,” Gardner said.
About the money for Porteous’ son internship, Schiff suggested the judge was hitting up lawyers who wouldn’t dare say no, pointing that one of the lawyers, Robert Creely, was quoted as saying “that rotten bastard is hitting me up for money.”
“It’s Bob. He didn’t mean anything by that,” said Gardner, insisting his donation was out of affection for the son, not to influence the judge.
Gardner also denied earlier testimony at the impeachment trial that during the Lifemark trial Judge Porteous threw books at one of the lawyers. He said that the books just fell, “an unfortunate accident.”
Asked by a senator whether he might face the same problems as Creely and his partner Jacob Amato, who have surrendered their licenses to practice law in Louisiana after their testimony about providing cash gifts to Porteous, Gardner said his name has been referred to a legal disciplinary panel. But he said he did nothing unethical, with the cash gifts, which he said amounted to perhaps $2,000 over 20 years, made entirely out of friendship, “with no expectation of favorable treatment from the judge.”
During the expert witnesses testimony about bankruptcy, several senators were most focused on Porteous’ listing of a phony name, G.T. Ortous, not so much whether he failed to report some assets, including a $4,000 tax refund and two small bank accounts.
Rafael Pardo, a University of Washington bankruptcy law expert, said a study of bankruptcy filings found 99 percent contained errors. But in response to a question from Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Pardo said he didn’t know of many cases where the name was listed incorrectly.
On Wednesday, Porteous’ bankruptcy attorney Claude Lightfoot, said the bogus name was his idea to spare the judge and his wife the embarrassment of a newspaper story about their poor finances. Lightfoot said he always intended, and did, quickly correct the name before any creditors would have received notice of the bankruptcy filing.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said the impeachment panel will complete the trial with two more days of testimony and arguments scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday.
She said the panel, which is assigned with writing an impartial summary of the trial for the full Senate, would have it completed in advance of a Nov. 15 meeting. The Senate is likely to vote on the four impeachment articles approved unanimously by the House during a lame-duck session, sometime after that.
Bruce Alpert can be reached at balpert@timespicayune.com or 202.383.7861.
A picayune mentality is behind the impeachment.
The same senators sitting at the trial are working on the amount of money to send to foreign nations where our economy has been sent.
The corruption that is going on there in warzone WHUT? is glorified even while the judge is vilified:
Billions of dollars are being secreted out of Kabul to help well-connected Afghans buy luxury villas in Dubai. Amid concerns that the money could be the result of corruption, American politicians have temporarily cut off aid to the Afghan government.
http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2010/09/all-justice-is-local-2.html
From day four post this morning:
LK:
Thanks for the “shout out” things are back to normal.
Heres some info on the storms that came through the metro area.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/nj_damaging_thunderstorms_wind.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/16/2010-09-16_fastmoving_storm_packing_tornado_conditions_tears_across_new_york_city_with_wind.html
Will catch up later,going to traffic court with middle son this morning for moral support,these courts don’t want Absolut or Shrimp.They want cash,they have no shame in their game.
If I could set to music what we have seen so far this would have to be the tune,again see you all when back from traffic court with middle son:
6:30 A.M. EDT: Good morning Bloggers. Jonathan is up and at ’em. Didn’t get enough sleep I’m sure. Welcome back to the world outside the Hart Building. You’ve got a few days to reflect and prepare for Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. You survived this difficult “process” of chaos. Focus grasshopper and ready the fight. Frank