Text 12663, 90 rader
Skriven 2005-05-16 17:40:00 av Jeff Binkley (1:226/600)
Ärende: Reid
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http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak16.html


Judges' financial info sought 

May 16, 2005

BY ROBERT NOVAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Advertisement

 

On May 5, the U.S. Judicial Conference in Washington received a request 
from a Mike Rice of Oakland, Calif., for the financial disclosure 
records of U.S. Appeals Court Judge Edith Jones (5th Circuit) of 
Houston. A 20-year veteran on the bench, Jones is a perennial 
possibility for the U.S. Supreme Court. The demand for her personal 
records is part of a major intelligence raid preceding momentous 
confirmation fights in the Senate.



Jones was not alone as a target, and Rice is not just a nosy citizen. He 
and Craig Varoga, a former aide to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, 
are partners in a California political consulting firm. Their May 5 
petition requested financial information on 30 appellate judges in all 
but one of the country's judicial circuits, including nine widely 
mentioned Supreme Court possibilities. Varoga & Rice's client: NARAL Pro-
Choice America.

Nobody can recall any previous mass request for such disclosures by 
federal judges. This intelligence raid is financed by the abortion 
lobby, but it looks to Republicans like a front for Reid and other 
senators who will consider President Bush's appointments for Supreme 
Court nominations. But Reid told me that he had heard nothing about 
this, adding: "It's ridiculous. What do we have Senate committees for?" 

Varoga, a former communications director for Reid, was national field 
director for Gen. Wesley Clark's 2004 presidential campaign. While Rice 
bills himself as an "expert" on "state public-records laws," his special 
field has been negative research probing the background of political 
foes. Varoga & Rice promises "public records research" that "can help 
you win elections, contracts and lawsuits." But compiling financial 
profiles of judicial nominees plows new ground.

Rice described himself as a "public-records researcher" when he asked 
the Judicial Conference's Financial Disclosure Committee for the 
financial statements of 30 judges. Rice did not reveal he was acting as 
a paid agent of NARAL.

In addition to Judge Jones, papers filed by Varoga & Rice asked for 
information from eight other appellate judges who are considered 
possible Supreme Court candidates. They include the veteran James Harvie 
Wilkinson, who has served on the 4th Circuit in Charlottesville, Va., 
for 21 years. Other veteran judges targeted by Varoga & Rice who were on 
the bench prior to this administration include Emilio Garza (5th 
Circuit) of San Antonio, J. Michael Luttig (4th Circuit) of Alexandria, 
Va., and Samuel Alito (3rd Circuit) of Philadelphia.

The other four possible Supreme Court nominees whose records have been 
requested all reached the appellate bench by George W. Bush's selection: 
Jeffrey Sutton (6th Circuit) of Cincinnati; Michael McConnell (10th 
Circuit) of Salt Lake City; John Roberts (D.C.) of Washington and Diane 
Sykes (7th Circuit) of Chicago.

One of the appellate judges who learned that his financial records were 
sought by a Democratic political consulting firm told a friend that he 
felt violated by this political intrusion. He did not know that the 
firm's client was NARAL.

The abortion advocacy group surely was not asking the judges' views on 
abortion. Nancy Keenan, who has been NARAL's president some five months, 
told this column her organization is concerned about "out of touch 
theological activists" becoming judges. Why seek financial information 
from them? She said the disclosure information might help identify the 
"character" of judicial nominees.

Which nominees? "We have lots of nominees that we have great concern 
about," said Keenan. "We're watching all of them." 

What additional information about sitting judges is being sought by 
Varoga & Rice is unknown. But Reid is clearly into probing the detailed 
backgrounds of nominees. Asserting that Democrats would probably 
filibuster Michigan appellate nominee Henry Saad, he explained: "All one 
needs to do is have a member go upstairs and look at his confidential 
report from the FBI, and I think we would all agree that there is a 
problem there." The minority leader's statement shocked colleagues, but 
it may well be a taste of much more of the same to come. 

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