FEMA Ordered to Resume Katrina Payments

AP via SFGate ^ | 11/29/6 | MATT APUZZO

[SmithL]

A federal judge ordered the Bush administration Wednesday to immediately resume making housing benefits available to thousands of victims of Hurricane Katrina.

U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon said the Federal Emergency Management Agency failed to adequately explain why it ended the 18-month housing assistance program for people who lost their homes in the 2005 storm.

Leon's ruling was issued as a temporary injunction requested by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now,

[SmithL]

Leon, Richard J.

Born 1949 in South Natick, MA

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Nominated by George W. Bush on September 10, 2001, to a seat vacated by Norma Holloway Johnson; Confirmed by the Senate on February 14, 2002, and received commission on February 19, 2002.

Education:
College of the Holy Cross, A.B., 1971

Suffolk Law School, J.D., 1974

Harvard Law School, LL.M., 1981

Professional Career:
Law clerk, chief justice and associate justices, Superior Court of Massachusetts, 1974-1975
Law clerk, Hon. Thomas F. Kelleher, Supreme Court of Rhode Island, 1975-1976
Attorney, Immigration and Naturalization Service, U.S. Department of Justice, 1976-1977
Special assistant U.S. attorney, Civil Division, U.S Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, 1977-1978
Assistant professor of law, St. John's University School of Law, 1979-1983
Senior trial attorney, Criminal Section, Tax Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1983-1987
Deputy chief minority counsel, Select 'Iran-Contra' Committee, U.S. House of Representatives, 1987-1988
Deputy assistant U.S. attorney general, Environment & Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1988-1989
Private practice, Washington, DC, 1989-2002
Commissioner, White House Fellows Commission, 1990-1993
Chief minority counsel, 'October Surprise' Task Force, Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. House of Representatives, 1992-1993
Special counsel, 'Whitewater Investigation,' Banking, Finance & Urban Affairs Committee, U.S. House of Representatives, 1994
Adjunct professor, Georgetown University School of Law, 1997-present
Special counsel, Ethics Reform Task Force, U.S. House of Representatives, 1997
Commissioner, Judicial Review Commission on Foreign Asset Control, 2000-2001

Race or Ethnicity: White

Gender: Male

[Brilliant]

Government by the Judges, of the Judges, and for the Judges...

[Ben Mugged]

Under what law?

[mewzilla]

Hon. Richard J. Leon

[ladyjane]

These parasites are going to keep milking the program as long as the judges enable them.

[Tzimisce]

"U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon said the Federal Emergency Management Agency failed to adequately explain why it ended the 18-month housing assistance program for people who lost their homes in the 2005 storm."

Um.....because it's 18 months old? At this point I would no longer call it "assistance", I would call it "government handout for people who won't help themselves".

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Where's my check, judge ?

[NEPA]

failed to adequately explain why it ended the 18-month housing assistance program

Maybe because after 18 months people should be able to pull their heads out of their asses and get on with life?

Just a thought

[2banana]

Why do we even elected people? - when judges can just impose their will at any time, for any reason?

[NOLA_homebrewer]

Its been 15 months, thats enough time to get your life back on track and get your plan of action in place to take care of yourself.

The only person I'd still have sympathy for is the homeowner who can't get his house rebuilt due to a myriad of reasons who is making both mortgage payments and temporary housing payments.

[Stashiu]

I think it is a good idea as long as the judge is willing to foot the bill.

[sure_fine]

"Maybe because after 18 months people should be able to pull their heads out of their asses and get on with life? "


careful, you will be with Kramer apologizing to jesse jackson and al sharpton

[goldstategop]

18 months? That's not temporary assistance; that's welfare! I'd like the good judge to explain to me why I have to buy a home with my own money but Katrina victims can have theirs perpetually subsidized by extorting the country's taxpayers. In any case, a federal judge has no business deciding whether or not a federal government program gets funded - that's Congress' responsibility.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

[PeteB570]

Yo, Judge!

The government should not have been paying them to begin with. A leach is a leach is a leach.

[GYPSY286]

ok-how is it that a JUDGE can tell the BUSH ADMINISTRATION what to do?

[stockstrader]

Just remember,

"A liberal's compassion is ONLY limited by the size of YOUR wallet".

[alloysteel]

I thought they had finished that months ago.

If you take the total number of applicants, and divide it into the cash and the assistance in kind that was actually distributed, and apportion it equally on a per-capita basis, these people would have had a pretty good payday.

The problem comes with the "equally on a per-capita basis", because obviously, some of the persons to whom it was distributed, got a great deal more than others.

On average everybody came out OK.

Declare victory over this national emergency and go home.

Isn't this the solution being advocated in Iraq?

[dc-zoo]

So this means these 'victims' will never have to work another day in their lives? Some probably never have. Sure looks like it.

[Retired Chemist]

On and on it goes.