Tuesday, June 21, 2005
KISSING UP:
As DC awaits Billy the CJ's retirement to an impending mausoleum (or perhaps burial next to Richard the Last himself), at least one of the remaining nine is still trying to butter up his betters to grab the top spot himself:
Yes, I am qualified to be CJ, even if I'm not practicing now. More to the point, sending up my name would be certain to provoke a filibuster because of "extraordinary circumstances", thus giving us grounds to break up that ridiculous "moderate" agreement. It's a step forward for true majority rule, and if I have to be the sacrifice fly to torpedo that idiocy, I say "bring it on".
As DC awaits Billy the CJ's retirement to an impending mausoleum (or perhaps burial next to Richard the Last himself), at least one of the remaining nine is still trying to butter up his betters to grab the top spot himself:
The Supreme Court overturned a Pennsylvania man's death sentence Monday, saying his court-appointed lawyers failed to adequately investigate evidence that could have persuaded a jury to spare his life. ...Personally I favor the views of that crusading bishop: Kill them all; God will know his own. Tony the K isn't fooling anybody. The ship has sailed and he won't be on it. One of the finalists, assuming the W. House is bold enough, is of course *ahem* myself.
Justice Anthony Kennedy dissented, joined by Chief Justice William Rehnquist and justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Kennedy said Rompilla's lawyers couldn't be expected to look in every court file for mitigating evidence, and there was no reason to look in the one the court faulted them for missing.
"Under any standard of review, the investigation performed by Rompilla's counsel in preparation for sentencing was not only adequate but also conscientious," Kennedy wrote. "Today's decision is wrong under any standard."
Yes, I am qualified to be CJ, even if I'm not practicing now. More to the point, sending up my name would be certain to provoke a filibuster because of "extraordinary circumstances", thus giving us grounds to break up that ridiculous "moderate" agreement. It's a step forward for true majority rule, and if I have to be the sacrifice fly to torpedo that idiocy, I say "bring it on".
