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Confirmation Watch:
Democrat Memogate: Chasing the Red
Herring
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee
Democrats have gotten their way. On Monday, the Justice Department announced a
criminal investigation into the downloading and leaking of Democrat memos that
discuss the strategy and tactics of opposing President Bush's nominees to the
federal bench.
David Kelley, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, has
been asked to lead the investigation, which will center on the actions of two
former Republican Senate staffers -- Jason Lundell and Manuel Miranda -- who
have acknowledged reading the memos but have denied leaking them as well as any
wrongdoing in accessing them.
To read more,
click here.
Confirmation Watch:
Center Files Senate Ethics Complaint
Against Senator Kennedy and His Former Aides Johnson and Barnes
The Center for Individual Freedom
this week filed a complaint with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics against
Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and two of his former aides, Olati Johnson
and Melody Barnes.
The complaint stems from an April 17, 2002, Memorandum written to Senator
Kennedy from Johnson, in which Johnson and Barnes recommended that the Senator
delay action on a judicial nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th
Circuit for the sole purpose of manipulating and influencing the outcome of the
University of Michigan affirmative action cases then pending before that court.
At the time, Johnson was Senator Kennedy's Judiciary Counsel and Barnes served
as his Chief Counsel.
To read more and the Center's
complaint,
click here.
Federal Legislative Issues: Guest Commentary
The World Wide (Tax) Web
By Senator George Allen
The growth of the Internet over the
past 10 years has provided greater opportunity for everyone -- from the largest
multinational corporation to the smallest mom-and-pop start-up business. By
giving more people access to knowledge and information, the personal computer
and the Internet have empowered tens of millions of Americans as consumers and
entrepreneurs, and as citizens in our free society.
The content on the Internet and access to it have exploded primarily because
government regulators and taxers have stayed out of the way. While governments
are, by nature, drawn to take "their share" of any successful private venture,
for the Internet to keep growing and for our citizens to keep benefiting from
it, government must fight its instinct to meddle and to burden creativity.
That's why Congress passed a law in 1998 temporarily banning taxes on Internet
access.
To read more,
click here.
State Issues:
Overview of the Negative
Implications of Public School Nutrition Policies That Restrict Student Food
Choices
From Texas to Connecticut, state
legislators are working on education initiatives to better our public schools
and to fund them. As they debate these critical issues, their attention must
also focus on new and proposed policies that will rob public schools of
desperately needed funds.
In many states, legislators are unaware of existing policies that address what
children eat and drink at school. Take, for example, the nutrition guidelines
recently announced by the Texas Department of Agriculture. Effective August 1,
2004, the revised Texas Public School Nutrition Policy will significantly
restrict the foods available on school grounds and in the cafeterias, with
potentially drastic financial consequences for Texas public schools.
To read more,
click here.
CFIF
History & Civics Quiz:
Question of the Week
According to the Preamble, which of the following is not a reason the
Framers ordained and established the U.S. Constitution?
(a) to establish justice
(b) to promote the general welfare
(c) to provide for the common defense
(d) to establish the principles of federalism
For the correct answer,
click here.
Jester's Courtroom: Tales Stranger Than Fiction
Featuring bizarre and sometimes humorous real
life stories from the courtroom.
The Name Game Redux
When faced with impending trials or
lengthy incarcerations, inmates across the country are learning that even if
they can't name names, they can still claim ownership in their own. A fad has
developed among the nation's prison inmates claiming copyrights in their names
and then demanding payment for each unauthorized use in legal documents and
proceedings. And, according to the inmates, at least, their names are quite
valuable -- with most charging about $500,000 per use.
One Illinois inmate sent a $2 million invoice to a judge who used his name four
times during his hearing for tax evasion. Another inmate in Oklahoma claimed the
federal prosecutor and two judges who sent him to prison owed him $13.5 million
for copyright infringement of his name. And, in a detention center in Brooklyn,
New York, at least four inmates have filed liens ranging from $2 million to $60
million against judges, prosecutors and prison wardens, who used the inmates'
names in court papers and courtrooms. Two particularly resourceful inmates even
filed liens against their defense attorney for unauthorized use of their names
during trial.
The scheme is getting worse. Most recently, an inmate began repeatedly
interrupting his preliminary hearing for crack-cocaine possession to assert that
he would be demanding money for each time his name was spoken without his
permission.
Given that a name cannot actually be copyrighted, no payments have been
reported, and most inmates attempting the scheme have instead been served with
injunctions or contempt of court. But the claims have achieved some small
measure of success by getting a judge recused from a sentencing hearing, forcing
those accused of the violations to answer the claims in court, and generally
tying up the legal system's time and resources. As U.S. Attorney David Dugas
stated, "If an inmate can get us to respond to his actions, it's a victory for
him."
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
George Washington University Law
Professor Jonathan Turley, Commenting on an April 17, 2002, Memo to Senator
Edward M. Kennedy in Which Two of His Aids Urge the Senator to Obstruct a
Particular Judicial Nominee in Order to Influence a Pending Case:
"When it comes to ethical and legal matters, this is pretty much a 20-car
pileup. It is a very serious issue ... What is astonishing is that Senator
Kennedy has not come forward to say that this is an improper type of conduct for
his staff ... What is at stake here is the process and the integrity of both the
United States Senate and the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals."
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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today. To donate online, please
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