And they even wrote an editorial yesterday to prove it. Here at Slabbed we’ve been hip to that concept for quite some time most recently in the case of BP using a middle man to purchase certain Louisiana politicians such as Bobby Jindal, Mary Landrieu and such. I bet USA v St Pierre left an impression with the folks at the T-P as well as ol’ Marky Mark used Jackson based lawyer Danny Drake to do some of his dirty work. Welcome aboard guys. 😉
sop
And how many times have we heard the refrain: "Money talks; bullshit walks!"? It might be interesting to analyse if the T-P ever "held back" on reporting a story, because entities like "BP" or "River Birch" or "Whoever" bought full-page advertisements in the T-P at $75,000 a pop (or thereabouts) while the story to be reported was still "hot". Ashton O'Dwyer.
I continue to be amazed that nobody (ODC, Judiciary Commission, Supreme Court, TP, or John Q. Public) has railed against the fact that John Houghtaling (aka Magnum) continues to run just about every judicial campaign in the metro NOLA area. At a minimum, it has the appearance of impropriety, yet seems that it is just politics as usual in Louisiana. It makes a very compelling argument for merit selection of judges.
I would only note that 'giving the money' back to the contributor AFTER you are 'caught' is not exculpatory. The giving and receiving is the CRIME. Pleading ignorance is not exculpatory. If the campaigns of Landrieu and Vitter and Scalise cashed the checks without vetting the givers then shame on the campaign managers. IF those three knew the who, what and where of the contributions then they are co=conspirators with the givers. And if ANYONE involved in the campaigns knew they too are culpable.
Of course SOMEONE would need to prosecute them all….ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Yeah right.
I would support the merit selection of judges if we can get a selection panel from Mayberry RFD. I don't see how a selection panel can do an "unconflicted" job if the stink in Louisiana runs so deep.
Imaangry,
We are in the same choir, but I suggest we pick another song…
Reform of the Judiciary and Bar will only come from an internal revolt by and of the majority of rank and file lawyers who make an honest living through hard work and professional conduct guided by some simblance of a moral and etihical compass…
As long as lawyers like Bill Hall can find their way on the Judicial Commission and a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court conducts herself in a way as to bring public scorn and ridicule to the Judiciary as a whole, we can consider the system broken and in need of a revolution to begin anew…