Posted on 08/11/2012 12:50:40 PM PDT by F15Eagle
This weekend, judges, lawyers and staff of the country's 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will convene in Maui, Hawaii, for a government-funded conference that they refused to cancel despite pressure from Republican lawmakers who balked at the junket's $1 million price tag.
Two Supreme Court Justices, Samuel Alito and Anthony Kennedy, will attend the three-day event and are scheduled to speak briefly on the conference's final day. Their mere presence will add tens of thousands of dollars to the conference's security costs, law enforcement sources told The Washington Examiner.
Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski recently told Congress it was too late to cancel the event, which was booked two years in advance. Senate aides dispute that claim. After combing through the contract, the aides determined that the court could cancel the event by paying a penalty fee that would save most of the taxpayers' money.
"In hindsight, had we foreseen the nation's current fiscal problems, we may have chosen a different site for this year's conference," Kozinski wrote to Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. last week. "But ... canceling contracts at this late date is just not feasible and we remain convinced that the conference will improve the administration of justice within the circuit."
Taxpayer watchdog groups disagree with the court's decision, which comes just weeks after Congress skewered the General Services Administration for handing out $44 million in bonuses to government workers and for holding dozens of often-lavish conferences.
"In this financial climate, the Ninth Circuit should have erred on the side of common sense and financial savings, and reconsidered the location and the number of attendees," said Scott Amey, general counsel for the Project on Government Oversight.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
Congress and The Executive should legislate their definition of “Good Behavior” and impeach judges for breach of it. Yes, it will make for a Constitutional “crisis”, one I believe the Congress and the Executive can win, and thereby install the precedent for it by its success.
I’m still expecting an August-September-October Surprise by this clown to maintain his own idiotic vacation junkets and continue to destroy America.
Could be wrong, of course. Guess we will see.
Not until after January, 2013!
Our masters are more equal than us tax slaves.
Ya, and what Is congress anyway, don't even have to answer their subpoenas!! Bunch of toothless cowardly puppy's............
Most of them are in on it, it seems.
We have now the American Politburo, comrade.
The State decides what is good for the peoples.
Food Nazis, etc.
Nice if you have the money. Oh, wait, it’s our money. Never mind.
Guess Friends of Obama could be FoO more appropriately, though FOb has a nice ring to it.
What a bunch of arrogant, back-robed turds.
I attended and was involved in planning conferences and meetings in the DoD for over 15 years. The last thing we would have contemplated was a conference in Hawaii. We usually tried to consider the cost/ease of travel connections as well.
Re: SOB’s like this better enjoy their taxpayer vacations while they can because in the Romney/Ryan administration they will be hard to come by.
With all due respect, Bullshit.
Yeah baby, let the good times roll!
That seems to be the lets party cheer coming from our “public servants” in the public sector. Tehy don’t give a damn about the financial condition of the country.
And, I’ll tell you this.
It is the example of Obama and his well dressed welfare queen wife that help bring this kind of insolent attitude.
Aha!! You can tell by the foul language that I caught a demonrat on my line :-)
Vacation. Golf. Gay Agenda.
Sums up the Obama administration.
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