Another skeleton, (In Miers Closet)

The Washington Times, Inside Politics ^ | October 24, 2005 | By Greg Pierce

[aceintx]

Another skeleton Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers was deeply involved in an American Bar Association scheme that forces lawyers to pool their clients' funds into checking accounts and pass on the interest to "public interest" law firms, Evan Gahr reports at www.chimpstein.com. The program, known as Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts, or IOLTA, was intended to provide legal services to the poor but often ends up promoting left-wing causes, Mr. Gahr said. IOLTA has helped fund "a panoply of left-wing advocates, including a California group that sued to overturn the state's parental consent law for abortion, a gay organization that tried to force the organizers of St. Patrick's Day Parade in Boston to include a contingent of gay marchers, and a Texas outfit that sued to disqualify military absentee ballots," he writes. Mr. Gahr added: "Now, Chimpstein.com has discovered an obscure report which places Miers at the forefront of the American Bar Association's successful effort to foist IOLTA on the nation. This is the smoking gun which at least one conservative group tried to locate and failed." Law professor Charles Rounds, who opposed the scheme, said, "IOLTA is a program, created by state supreme courts or state legislation, whereby lawyers pool client funds -- small sums and large sums held for short periods of time -- into a designated interest-bearing checking account. The interest that is generated on those pooled funds is then funneled through a judicially created legal foundation to various 'public interest' legal firms." Miss Miers in the 1990s served on the American Bar Association's Consortium on Legal Services and the Public, which pushed the idea, Mr. Gahr said.

[aceintx]

'A political blunder' "Although skeptical from the start, we've restrained our criticism of the Harriet Miers nomination because we've long believed that presidents of either party deserve substantial deference on their Supreme Court picks. Yet it now seems clear -- even well before her Senate hearings -- that this selection has become a political blunder of the first order," the Wall Street Journal says. "Especially in the wake of his success with John Roberts, President Bush had a rare opportunity to fulfill his campaign pledge to change the Court by nominating someone in the mold of Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. In the process, he would have rallied his most fervent supporters and helped to educate the country about proper Constitutional interpretation. Instead, he picked a woman who was his personal and White House counsel, and who was unknown to nearly everyone outside the White House and his Texas circle," the newspaper said in an editorial. "After three weeks of spin and reporting, we still don't know much more about what Ms. Miers thinks of the Constitution. What we have learned is that the White House has presented her to the country, and thrown her into the buzz saw that is the U.S. Senate, without either proper preparation or vetting. The result has been a political melee that is hurting not just Ms. Miers, who deserves better. It is also damaging the White House and its prospects for a successful second term. "Instead of a fight over judicial philosophy, we're having a fight over one woman's credentials and background. Instead of debating the Kelo decision's evisceration of private property rights, we are destined to learn everything we never wanted to know about the Texas Lottery Commission. "Instead of dividing Red State Democrats from Senate liberals, the nomination is dividing Republicans. Pat Robertson is threatening retribution not against moderate Democrats but against GOP conservatives who dare to oppose Ms. Miers. Chuck Schumer couldn't have written a better script."

[aceintx]

"Chuck Schumer couldn't have written a better script.""

Lest we forget, Harry Ried suggested her appointment....maybe Chuck did write this script!

[conservativecorner]

What a dumb bone-headed move by the WH in nominating this women. Unfrigging real!

[azhenfud]

"...California group that sued to overturn the state's parental consent law for abortion, a gay organization that tried to force the organizers of St. Patrick's Day Parade in Boston to include a contingent of gay marchers, and a Texas outfit that sued to disqualify military absentee ballots."

The fork's sharpened tines driven deep into the cooked goose.

[Cindy_Cin]

My faith in GW bush began to shatter when he rehabilitated BUBBAH
Only to be stabbed in the back (both times)

[Stellar Dendrite]

ping

[em2vn]

I wonder how much vetting was done on Mier's. Maybe not very much and maybe a great deal. Vetting may have shown her to be just the kind of justice that "W" was hoping to get on the court. "W" the non-conservative may have been hoping to get Harriet the closet liberal onto the court without anyone be the wiser.

[TXBSAFH]

I am convinced that Meirs is the best GW could find. With our leaving his office that is. Is that a fat lady I hear?

[Stellar Dendrite]

but he knows her heart!! trust me

[Stellar Dendrite]

it just keeps gettin better huh

[cynicom]

Wake me up when the Bushbots arrive and start their name calling.

[conservativecorner]

In which case it's the WH which has been the one showing elitism. I have to say that W is really starting to disappoint me on many fronts lately. The constant rebuking of Israel by Sec. Rice, the "guest worker program" mentioned in the President's Saturday Address, him being completely oblivious to his conservative base with the SCOTUS picks, and his Administrations moving away from, "those who are not with us are against us".

[TXBSAFH]

Anytime a politico tells me to trust him, I put my hand on my wallet and slowly back away.

[TXBSAFH]

PIng

[grania]

I am convinced that Meirs is the best GW could find. With our leaving his office that is

Think positive. If Clinton had looked around his office, we would've gotten Monica on the Supreme Court!

[cynicom]

The best I have been called during the Miers thing is "dumbass"... It sort of fits but the other names were bad.

I even got a few FR IMs from people, they were very naughty.

[Rutles4Ever]

Pat Robertson called this morning and warned me to set my Bush De-Coder Ring to "Stune", or else I'd have to drink a case of his health shakes to remove the "Curse of 700 Clubs".

[America's Resolve]

No Souter II here. Nope.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

IOLTA has helped fund "a panoply of left-wing advocates, including a California group that sued to overturn the state's parental consent law for abortion, a gay organization that tried to force the organizers of St. Patrick's Day Parade in Boston to include a contingent of gay marchers...

For the record, this makes her MORE left-wing than the American Civil Liberties Union.

Stellar, we need a graphic showing Nadine Strossen, Ira Glasser, Anthony Romero-or any similar ACLU whackjob-with the sentence "If you don't support Miers, you're an ACLU-type reactionary" superimposed over the image...STAT!

[Rodney King]

Another skeleton Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers was deeply involved in an American Bar Association scheme that forces lawyers to pool their clients' funds into checking accounts and pass on the interest to "public interest" law firms

Anyone who beleives that it is ok to do that without the permision of the clients is not a conservative.