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Please Note:
In observance
of the Easter holiday, the Lunchtime Liberty Update will not be published
next week. The Update will return on Friday, April 16.
Confirmation Watch:
CFIF Unveils 'Memogate Lineup' Ad
"It's Time to Investigate the Real Issues of Memogate"
The Center for Individual Freedom
this week unveiled the second in its series of ads on Memogate. In the ad, which
features a "lineup" of Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and
Dick Durbin (D-IL), who are at the heart of the controversy, the Center calls on
Democrats and Republicans alike to stop ignoring the content of the memos and
calls for a full investigation.
"The time has long passed for Senators on both sides of the aisle to break their
silence on the content of these memos," said Jeffrey Mazzella, the Center's
Executive Director. "Allegations of cash for judges; possible attempts to fix
pending cases; what more do Senators need to call for an investigation? And what
more does the normally watchful media need to begin asking tough questions on
behalf of the public?"
To read more and view the
Centers ad,
click here.
Legal Activities:
Center's Attorneys Present Oral
Argument Before Ninth Circuit in Beef Case
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
heard oral argument on March 31st in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality
of the beef checkoff program identified with the popularly recognized "Beef:
It's What's for Dinner" generic advertising campaign. Erik S. Jaffe presented
oral argument on behalf of Jeanne and Steve Charter and hundreds of other
independent cattle ranchers who oppose the per-head charge on cattle to pay for
promoting beef consumption. Center's counsel Reid A. Cox and Montana attorney
Kelly J. Varnes co-represented the Charters before the Ninth Circuit.
In support of the argument that the checkoff program violates the First
Amendment rights of the Charters and others who oppose being forced to support
speech that is directly contrary to their views and interests, Mr. Jaffe
confirmed to the court that "my clients vehemently disagree with the messages"
and that "generic advertising undermines branded or specific advertising."
To read more,
click here.
Confirmation Watch:
Nearly 4,000 Americans Urge Senator
Kennedy to Come Clean on Memogate
The Center for Individual Freedom
today delivered a petition signed by nearly 4,000 people from across the country
to Senator Edward Kennedy demanding to know whether he obstructed justice in the
University of Michigan affirmative action cases when they were pending before
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.
The petition springs from the April 17, 2002, memorandum to Senator Kennedy from
one of his aides detailing a request from Elaine Jones, President and
Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, to delay all
judicial confirmations to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit until
that court ruled on the affirmative action cases. Jones represented Defendant-Intervenors
in the University's undergraduate case. In the memo, two of Senator Kennedy's
aides recommended he postpone Senate action on a least one 6th Circuit nominee
until the case was decided, despite acknowledging it was wrong to do so.
To read more,
click here.
Confirmation Watch:
Judge Pickering Speaks Out
As a part of their campaign to
obstruct President Bush's judicial nominees, Senate Democrats, led by U.S.
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), and outside special interest groups, tried to
brand Judge Charles Pickering a racist. In an extraordinary interview with CBS's
60 Minutes broadcast March 28, Judge Pickering rebutted those charges.
President Bush first nominated Judge Pickering to the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the 5th Circuit in May of 2001. Nearly three years later, after Judge
Pickering's nomination was filibustered by Senate Democrats, President Bush
invoked his constitutional authority to grant him a temporary appointment during
a Senate recess.
Pickering's experience is all too typical of the problems with the confirmation
process. A particularly qualified nominee, Pickering had served as a U.S.
District Court Judge in Mississippi for more than 10 years. He earned the
American Bar Association's highest rating for a judicial nominee. Nevertheless,
Senate Democrats and well-funded liberal interest groups worked tirelessly to
distort his record and label him, of all things, a racist.
To read more,
click here.
CFIF
History & Civics Quiz:
Question of the Week
How many national holidays are specified in the U.S. Constitution?
(a) 1 (Christmas Day)
(b) 2 (Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day)
(c) 3 (Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day)
(d) None
For the correct answer,
click here.
Jester's Courtroom: Tales Stranger Than Fiction
Featuring bizarre and sometimes humorous real
life stories from the courtroom.
Not Everyone's a Critic
Moviegoers who claimed they were
lured to see mediocre films based on a fake critic's positive reviews will
settle their resulting class action lawsuit against Sony Pictures Entertainment
out-of-court.
The frustrated filmgoers sued Sony after learning that one of its marketing
executives had created the critic to rave about less-than-stellar Sony releases
such as "Hollow Man" and "The Animal." Suing on behalf of "all consumers
nationwide who paid to see any movie" based on a phony review, the plaintiffs
first offered to settle their class action suit for a $4.5 million fund to
reimburse those duped by such promises as Heath Ledger being "this year's
hottest new star," and "Hollow Man" being "one hell of a scary ride." Sony
rejected the initial offer, and the terms of the pending settlement have yet to
be finalized.
The decision to settle the case comes on the heels of a recent California
appeals court decision rejecting Sony's argument that its advertising, including
statements from the fictitious critic, were protected under the First Amendment.
Although the 2-1 majority ruled that the advertisements were unprotected
commercial speech, Justice Reuben Ortega dissented, deriding the suit as "the
most frivolous case with which I have ever had to deal."
Sony maintains it was unaware of the phony critic ruse; it pulled the ads and
suspended the marketing exec and his supervisor as soon as the story broke.
Source: Court TV
To read more,
click here.
Since many of these gems do not attain national attention, the Jester welcomes
you to share with us your favorite wacky stories from a courtroom near you!
Please be sure to provide the source. You may e-mail us at
mailto:info@cfif.org
Notable Quotes:
Quote of the Week
Manuel Miranda, Former Counsel to
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Describing Assurances He Was Given that His
Resignation Would Allow Republican Senators to Engage Democrats on the Content
of Memogate Memos:
"Senator Hatch told me specifically, point blank, that if I resigned he could
then talk about the substance of the memos. I was told by the Frist office that,
if I resigned, the Democrats would basically calm down [and Republicans could
make the memos public]."
For more Notable Quotes,
click here.
Do
you have a notable quote you'd like to share with the Center, e-mail it to
mailto:info@cfif.org
Be sure to provide us the source of the quote.
Ray's Cartoon Corner:
Ray's
Cartoon Corner
Visit "Ray's Cartoon Corner,"
the lighter side of CFIF's website. The Corner is a good place for freedom
lovers and free market advocates to go to catch up on the latest social,
economic and political issues affecting individual freedoms and rights through
the humorous medium of editorial cartooning. The cartoons are drawn by Ray
Gardner, a self described free market conservative and thirty-something
cartoonist who lives and works in Phoenix, Arizona.
To view Ray's latest
cartoons,
click here.
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and corporations. Please consider becoming a proud supporter of the Center
today. To donate online, please
click here.
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