District Judge Emmet Sullivan
A Clinton appointee.
Posted on 11/27/2002 3:48:49 PM PST by dogbyte12
WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Bush administration's attempt to take a lawsuit against Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force to a federal appeals court.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan let stand his order requiring the White House by Dec. 9 to produce task force documents it considers not to be privileged and make available a list of documents it believes should continue to be withheld.
Sullivan said Wednesday that the Justice Department had not shown adequate reason why he should turn the case over the appeals court before a final judgment.
Separately, the U.S. Court of Appeals is still considering an emergency petition the Justice Department filed Nov. 12 requesting a review of Sullivan's orders in the case.
The documents are being sought in connection with a lawsuit seeking information on what outside groups influenced the Cheney task force as it prepared an energy policy report in early 2001. The actions were filed by Sierra Club and Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, and later combined into one case.
Government lawyers have argued the documents should be withheld because they are part of the deliberative process. Still, the White House was continuing to examine boxes of task force papers and some 10,000 e-mails in an attempt to comply with the judge's order. Sullivan originally sought the documents by Nov. 5, but extended the deadline.
David Bookbinder, an attorney for the Sierra Club, said the Bush administration's attempt to divert the case to the appeals court was another effort to prolong and delay the litigation and circumvent the Dec. 9 deadline.
Judicial Watch praised Sullivan's ruling in a statement, calling the administration's request for an appeal before the case is even decided "unorthodox to say the least."
District Judge Emmet Sullivan
A Clinton appointee.
IT figures!!
This is a witch hunt if I ever saw one. Anyone can send documents and e-mails in, probably a lot the task force would not have considered. I seriously doubt Cheney read 10,000 e-mails and no telling how many documents, nor do I believe that if he had, all of them "influenced" him. They'll find a few that probably contain unreasonable requests, and Judicial Watch and the Sierra Club will trumpet it as evidence of "corruption" and "undue influence."
I do not recall that even being the issue here, at least not according to what my roomate has told me about this case.
(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the nonpartisan public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, reported today that they have filed a lawsuit against Judicial Watch, the conservative watchdog group. In the filing, Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman commented on the actions of Judicial Watch by saying, "This organization, Judicial Watch has worked hand-in-hand with the Federal Government in covering up possible undefinable government corruption. The government has purposefully and willfully ignored our constant and incessant nuisance lawsuits."
In a pre-trial hearing, the Honorable Jesusnot A. Nothersuit heard preliminary arguments, issuing the following statement from the bench: "Whatever." This well-considered legal opinion allows Judicial Watch to continue its long tradition of filing lawsuits.
The conservative group, Judicial Watch, is led by Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman, who has been under investigation by the Justice Department, the National Bar, the Holy See, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School hall monitor tribunal. Judicial Watch, the nonpartisan public interest group, is interested in maintaining the highest standards in government. The suit centers around a conversation at the infamous "D" street Subway cafe and bodega. A well-connected member of the Subway organization overheard a highly placed member of the Cheney administration -- a provisions procurement specialist -- as saying, "That Larry Klayman is a real pain in the ass." Larry Klayman was heard to agree.
As it is criminal to threaten individuals and coerce attorneys in litigation, Judicial Watch, in its nonpartisan capacity, has filed lawsuits against all United States citizens and permanent residents. This ensures that Judicial Watch's nonpartisan activities cannot be criticized by anyone.
Judicial Watch's conservative activism has lead to a crass and shameless campaign of questionable fundraising and cheap commercialism. "Any organization that attempts to shake down unsuspecting donors for its own financial gain runs the risk of being viewed with suspicion."
Order your Judicial Watch merchandise, including the Judicial Watch watch. Please specify "conservative" or "nonpartisan". You may also contribute to Judicial Watch by check, cash, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diner's Club, Mobil Speedpass, traveler's check, British pounds, Russian ruble, IOU, Caesar's palace chips (red and white only, please) and very pretty seashells.
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