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Papers
- Justices - Supreme Court Judge Scalia Socializes With Cheney Before Hearing (CBS News)
"Vice President Dick Cheney and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia spent part of last week duck hunting together at a private camp in southern Louisiana, just three weeks after the court agreed to take up the vice president's appeal in lawsuits over his handling of the administration's energy task force, the Los Angeles Times says in its Saturday editions."
"While Scalia and Cheney are avid hunters and longtime friends, several experts in legal ethics questioned the timing of their trip and said it raised doubts about Scalia's ability to judge the case impartially, the newspaper pointed out."
"Federal law says 'any justice or judge shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might be questioned,' the Times notes."
"Stephen Gillers, a New York University law professor, told the Times Scalia should have skipped going hunting with Cheney this year."
" 'A judge may have a friendship with a lawyer, and that's fine. But if the lawyer has a case before the judge, they don't socialize until it's over. That shows a proper respect for maintaining the public's confidence in the integrity of the process,' said Gillers, who is an expert on legal ethics." 2-04
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