Justice Delayed...
By Thomas D. Herzfeld
Last week, Tom Delay's counsel requested that the judge assigned his case to recuse himself because he had contributed to Democratic causes in the past. This ploy exemplifies the McCarthyist depths to which some Republicans have descended. Have they no sense of decency? Is there some reason that they do not expect justice from a judge who contributed more to Democrats than to Republicans? On the other hand, maybe they are worried about actually receiving justice.
This sordid partisan attempt to balkanize our justice system is more than mere Texas jurisdiction shopping. If their gambit fails, watch for them to request Judge Perkins to recuse himself anyway because their actions might have offended him. I'd be surprised if you read that here first because it's so obvious.
Rep. Delay's stunt is not only offensive, it points out the hypocrisy of some Republicans. I have no doubt that he watched gleefully as Kenneth Starr demonstrated his inability to temper justice with mercy while making a farce out of the independent counsel position. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, he whines, protests, and cries partisanship when none exists. This may be based on fear - there actually is a legal basis for Mr. Delay's prosecution as opposed to the case of President Clinton when there was none.
But maybe we should let the little drama play itself out in a leisurely fashion. The longer he twists in the wind, the less likely he is to return to his Congressional leadership position. In this case, delay might actually prove beneficial.
Last week, Tom Delay's counsel requested that the judge assigned his case to recuse himself because he had contributed to Democratic causes in the past. This ploy exemplifies the McCarthyist depths to which some Republicans have descended. Have they no sense of decency? Is there some reason that they do not expect justice from a judge who contributed more to Democrats than to Republicans? On the other hand, maybe they are worried about actually receiving justice.
This sordid partisan attempt to balkanize our justice system is more than mere Texas jurisdiction shopping. If their gambit fails, watch for them to request Judge Perkins to recuse himself anyway because their actions might have offended him. I'd be surprised if you read that here first because it's so obvious.
Rep. Delay's stunt is not only offensive, it points out the hypocrisy of some Republicans. I have no doubt that he watched gleefully as Kenneth Starr demonstrated his inability to temper justice with mercy while making a farce out of the independent counsel position. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, he whines, protests, and cries partisanship when none exists. This may be based on fear - there actually is a legal basis for Mr. Delay's prosecution as opposed to the case of President Clinton when there was none.
But maybe we should let the little drama play itself out in a leisurely fashion. The longer he twists in the wind, the less likely he is to return to his Congressional leadership position. In this case, delay might actually prove beneficial.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< E-Liberal Home