Leftist legal ethicists on parade

Brent Bozell wrote a terribly important column on January 31st entitled "The Tennis Tempest at ABC" that bears further examination.

In this column, Bozell reveals the recent Nightline show about ethics and judicial travel. As Bozell writes, "It was a shameless hit piece on conservatives compleete with hidden-camera cheap shots. Only conservative justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas were featured, and roasted, by ABC."

Who was the ethical expert they called upon at ABC to shake a pointed finger sternly at Scalia and Thomas for their travel largess? Stephen Gillers. Writes Bozell, "ABC didn't tell its viewers that Gillers is a hardened leftist who has written for the Nation magazine about the "nightmare" of conservatives controlling the government."

It's worse than that, Brent.

Stephen Gillers is a well-known buddy of People for the American Way. He is continously called upon by PFAW to slap at Bush judicial nominees for one thing or another. Both Gillers and his buddy, Stephen Lubet, have a long, distinguished history as leftists from their college days when, for example, Stephen Lubet was a leader in the radical SDS movement.

Here is Stephen Lubet, buddy of Stephen Gillers, in his wilder days in college. He is the one on the car. Before his vaunted career as a legal ethicist.




Bozell continues: "Anchor Cynthia McFadden lectured: "This Supreme Court justice playing tennis at a resort as the president swears in his new boss." Did ABC follow Scalia to Colorado to catch him in the heinous act of pick-up tennis? Or did someone else with a political agenda provide the footage to ABC? ABC should have been forthcoming on that key point, but wasn't.Brian Ross underlined ABC's gotcha point: "Scalia's apparent snub of the Chief Justice was one thing. But some legal ethics experts say his presence at the resort raises even larger questions about what critics call judicial junkets."The Federalist Society complained bitterly in a letter to ABC News pointing to numerous facts that the Society made known to ABC beforehand, but which "Nightline" ignored."

I'm shocked. ABC News ignored truthful, valid points that the Federalist Society made to them?

And why did ABC News focus exclusively on Scalia and Thomas? Oh, that's right. President Bush said that he would nominate judges in the image of Scalia and Thomas. So clearly if that image were to be,........tainted.......well, that would score one point for the libs, now wouldn't it.

Luckily, though, Brent tells us what other SCOTUS Justices have made off with, but strangely were NOT mentioned in the ABC hit piece. "Sandra Day O'Connor reported an $18,000 award in 2003 from the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, "but listed it as income." Ruth Bader Ginsburg "has received a number of large monetary awards since joining the court in 1993, which she reported giving to charity." In 1996 she received $100,000 from the philanthropic Kaul Foundation and gave money to 26 charities and nonprofits, including "women's organizations." What? Has Justice Ginsburg used this foundation money to fund feminist groups like NOW on the sly? ABC doesn't care.Others have noticed Stephen Breyer attending the posh Clintonista "Renaissance Weekends" in Charleston. Golf (at specially discounted rates) is listed on the program. Where's the hidden camera? Breyer's even on the advisory board.Compare Tennis-gate to other stories. In 1999, Juanita Broaddrick charged through tears on NBC that President Clinton violently raped her in a Little Rock hotel room in 1978. "Nightline" never investigated that. In fact, "Juanita Broaddrick" is a name "Nightline" has never uttered. Their idea of a scandal is Scalia playing tennis?"

NO, Brent. ABC's idea of a scandal is not Scalia playing tennis. They think tennis is just groovy. So long as you aren't playing it while attending a Federalist Society conference. I wonder if that rule applies to the liberal's version of the Federalist Society, the Constitution Society, or whatever it is called.

Somehow I doubt it.