Judge in Roadless Ruling Accused of Violating Ethics Laws

[maggrwaggr]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-ethics6aug06,1,1550227.story?coll=la-headlines-nation-manual

(snip)
A federal district judge in Wyoming violated ethics laws by hearing a case that stood to affect his significant financial interests in oil and gas companies, judicial and environmental watchdog groups charged Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer last month struck down a Clinton-era policy that banned road building on 58.5 million acres of national forest land.

In his opinion, the judge said one result of the so-called roadless rule was that "one could not meaningfully explore or drill for oil and gas without access by road into the roadless areas."
(snip)

[larryepke]

1. Ethics Laws?

We're the GOP! There's money to be made! We don't need any stinking Ethics Laws!

[Divernan]

2. Ethics are never timid, rarely convenient, and always vital!

NT

[yellowcanine]

3. Shades of Teapot Dome Scandal

In the 20's the Harding admin (along with Grant's, most corrupt in U.S. history up to the present admin) was embroiled in a scheme where private oil companies (and their political benefactors) benefited from federal gov owned oil.
Hmmm....Grant (who can remember?), Harding (Teapot Dome), Nixon (Watergate), Reagan (Iran-Contra), Dubya Bush (16 words, Enron, Halliburton). I see a pattern developing here.

[TahitiNut]

6. Don't forget McKinley and the robber barons.

The current madministration is more corrupt than any two of the worst in our history.

FWIW, check out Philander Knox if you want to know who John Ashcroft's model is ... and James Baker's.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

4. In case you dismiss this as mere oversight by the judge:

"It's rare that it happens, and when it does it's often inadvertent," said Stephen Gillers, a professor of legal ethics at the New York University Law School. "This can't be inadvertent because he has HALF his wealth in oil and gas."

[NewYorkerfromMass]

5. kick