Friday, May 15, 2009

It's Politics As Usual On Siegelman Appeal

Associated Press is reporting today that the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a petition for a hearing before the full court in the Don Siegelman case.

A three-judge panel earlier had upheld most of the convictions against Siegelman and codefendant Richard Scrushy. With today's ruling, denying an en banc review, the only recourse for Siegelman and Scrushy--at least through the courts--is an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The chances for anyone having a case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court are slim. But attorneys for Siegelman and Scrushy, Vince Kilborn and Art Leach, say they are going to file a petition for review, and the issues at hand might be important enough to attract the Supremes' attention:

Leach said a centerpiece of the appeal to the Supreme Court will be the question of whether a crime was actually committed. Defense lawyers have argued there wasn't proof that Scrushy and Siegelman had an explicit deal to swap the campaign contributions for the appointment.

Kilborn said the case is of national importance because it involves the level of proof required to show campaign contributions were bribes.

"The Supreme Court, in my opinion, will take a long look at that," Kilborn said.

Nothing much surprises us here at Legal Schnauzer about our broken justice system. And we certainly are not surprised by today's ruling.

I have reviewed the three-judge panel's ruling, and other relevant documents, and it clearly is unlawful on numerous levels. We plan to start a series of posts next week that will show exactly how the 11th Circuit cheated Siegelman and Scrushy on appeal.

It's not even a close call that both the trial and appellate courts got this case wrong. But the sad truth is that our courts no longer are about justice; they are about politics--and nothing about that has changed in the first four months of the Barack Obama administration.

The judges on the 11th Circuit have a vested interest in perpetuating the myth that our courts are honest. And if Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy have to pay a price for keeping that myth alive, so be it.

Here's the truly sick thing about the 11th Circuit's handling of the Siegelman appeal: If the trial court had botched it just a little, I suspect the appellate judges would have overturned it. But trial judge Mark Fuller is so corrupt, and botched it on so many grounds, that there is almost no way to correct the decision without making it clear that the federal courts have a sleazebag in their midst.

Remember that Mark Fuller owes his judgeship to U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL). Here is how Scott Horton reported it at Harper's:

One of the charges against Siegelman, on which he was convicted, was that he had accepted gifts from an Alabama lobbyist. When that lobbyist testified, he made the point that he done the same thing–except in a much larger way—with Alabama Republican Senator Jefferson Sessions, without the Justice Department raising any questions about it. Now, as we have already noted, Judge Fuller owes his judgeship in part to Jefferson Sessions, moreover, he was an active supporter and campaign donor to Sessions’s senatorial campaign.

Horton goes on to point out the critical role that Sessions former deputy, Bill Pryor, played in the Siegelman investigation. And where is Pryor now? On the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, as a George W. Bush appointee:


Moreover, Sessions’s deputy and successor as Alabama Attorney General was Bill Pryor, who played a key role in directing the prosecution of Siegelman. When Sessions’s name came up, the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section lawyer objected, asking that this evidence be excluded, and Fuller complied. No charges were ever brought against Sessions, nor was any investigation ever undertaken. Yet Siegelman was convicted on this charge.

The bottom line? A serious review of the Siegelman case would show that trial judge Mark Fuller acted in a corrupt, possibly criminal, manner. And any review of Fuller is going to lead to scrutiny of Bill Pryor, Jeff Sessions, Karl Rove, and George W. Bush.

Somebody has decided that the country "can't handle the truth" about the Siegelman case. So it is being covered up.

Starting next week, we will show you exactly how the 11th Circuit is participating in the cover up.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Roger Roger Roger. You so crossed the line this time buddy. How's your dog doing? Poor thing, burning in hell like that.

Anonymous said...

What's that old comment about not looking too closely at politics or sausage-making?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/16/rove-meets-prosecutor-in-firings-probe/

legalschnauzer said...

Anon:
You seem mighty confused. How did this post about the Siegelman appeal "cross the line"? What "line" are you talking about? And what does our dog have to do with it? Are you a complete loon? You seem to take the Siegelman appeal very personally. I assume you are anti-Siegelman, so what are you upset with?

Unknown said...

Schnauzer:
Don't be confused. It's obvious as hell. As a long-time reader of your brutally honest, & often ground-breaking blog, I'd say Anon is a member of the crazy Swatek family. And he is referring to your searing post about their baby sister/baby daughter, Barret Swatek. You know the one I'm talking about--where Baby Barret is truthfully revealed to be a no-talent bimbo with horrific taste in men. But then again, just look at who she's had as male role models all these years. Yikes! I'd almost feel sorry for her, except for the fact that the only reason she's even able to play around at being an "actress," is that I'm pretty sure quite a bit of the money that Daddy Swatek steals--from both his clueless clients, such as your next-door neighbor, & honest, hard-workng citizens, as yourself--goes to support little Baby Barret out in over-priced L.A.

Now that we have that cleared up...I want to say that I'm an animal lover & justice fighter myself. So I have this response to Anon:

Dax Dax Dax. You & your whole sicko family so crossed the line so many, many times buddy, that I've lost count. Yes, we know that you know (along with every other reader of this blog) that Legal Schnauzer's sweet little dog, Murphy, is deceased & has been for several years. Does bringing it up constantly in your idiotic comments make you feel like a man? One with perhaps an incredibly small dick? You're just a warped jackass like the rest of your evil clan. Haven't you heard the phrase "all dogs go to heaven?" So I'd like to say that the only one who'll be burning in hell will be you--you ugly, twisted son of a bitch-- when somebody finally has enough of your shit & does the whole world a favor & blows your mother-fucking head off. Poor, poor arrogant thing, you really need to watch who you screw with because some dogs bite back.

Here's something for you to think about Dax. I'm such a big fan of Mr. and Mrs. Schnauzer and their blog that I've done a little research on your ugly ass. I know where you live, just back of the Homewood Public Library. And I know your wifey-poo spends a lot of time there by herself while you are down in Montgomery playing with your gay Republican friends.

And that's scratching the surface of what I know about you and your sicko family. By the way, why did your mother move out on Daddy-o a couple of years ago? Trouble in paradise? And how's mommy's boob job doing? Things starting to sag a bit?

I'm just one of several Schnauzer fans who are real tired of you, your sleazebag father, your worthless brother, and your GOPussy friends fucking with them.

Remember this Dax: Two can play at this "yours is comong" game. You'd better hope Schnauzer achieves justice in court. Because if he doesn't, there might be hell to pay for a number of people.

The Schnauzers are nice people, but some of their friends have mean streaks. I'm one of those friends. And my patience with your shit is running out.

Keep fighting Schnauzer! Somebody sure as hell has to do it. There are legions of us across the country who feel the same way as you do--for justice to finally be done. May God bless you, your family & the soul of your precious Murphy who now sits at the foot of Christ in heaven along with all the other of our Heavenly Father's beloved animal creatures.

Robby Scott Hill said...

Perhaps there is another Mafia organizing in Alabama that will remove people like the Swateks, Canarys and Riley from power.

Anonymous said...

WELL NOW, I LOVE ROXANNE!

I agree, too, 100%.

Anon, you are either one of the monarch slaves for this new world order of paedophilia cultists or you have had your brain scrambled a long time ago into nothing more than a blubbering pile of protoplasm - your idiotic rantings prove you have no brain cells synapsing, only bleeding.

You could be Karl Rove, however, Roxanne has the new satellite census on you and now google earth compliments of the CIA can track your family and you, too, just like all of the ship of American fools (in other words, you are not special either).

The fun you are having Anon, laughing at people who continue to have souls and honor this whole truth, is not the last to be heard. The international law which has been purposely put into place so Americans have no more power in the courts is going to fail/backfire for the "new world order" ilk, who are not nearly as smart as Alexander the Great or Napoleon or Hitler.

Yes, we have about four to ten years of doing hard time, but the end can be envisioned to be what it is: freedom from the criminally insane vampires of antiquity who THINK with inbred brains and therefore, not one intelligent or common sense thought!

That is them, those who believe they can continue to rule as the god government of earth.

Then, there are those who have been nothing more than suckers for the parasites (this is you Anon) and this collective of pond scum has risen to the top (Karl Rove) TEMPORARILY, however.

The universe abhors a critical mass imbalance and it is this energy in charge, not any small speck of the scum in the pond.

Watch and see Anon as ALL THE SCUM is FINALLY cleansed from the American pond ... and regardless of the hard work, we who consider ourselves human (unlike the beasts - you, et al.) are up to the task at hand since the stench and filth is Anonymously abundant.

Out, out damn spots!!

rkelly using son Ry's blogger identity.

Thanks Mr. and Mrs. LS for being the hope, truth and the light, for real and not the faux of what is now running the "show."

Anonymous said...

LS: Here is a piece of the proof in the pudding:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/5050407/US-backing-for-world-currency-stuns-markets.html

(We have unquestionable treason in the US and it is in the cat bird's seat at this time without a conscience or consciousness ... do go to link and read the comments)

US backing for world currency stuns markets

US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner shocked global markets by revealing that Washington is "quite open" to Chinese proposals for the gradual development of a global reserve currency run by the International Monetary Fund.


By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Last Updated: 8:14AM GMT 27 Mar 2009

Comments 24 | Comment on this article

The dollar plunged instantly against the euro, yen, and sterling as the comments flashed across trading screens. David Bloom, currency chief at HSBC, said the apparent policy shift amounts to an earthquake in geo-finance.

"The mere fact that the US Treasury Secretary is even entertaining thoughts that the dollar may cease being the anchor of the global monetary system has caused consternation," he said.

Mr Geithner later qualified his remarks, insisting that the dollar would remain the "world's dominant reserve currency ... for a long period of time" but the seeds of doubt have been sown.

The markets appear baffled by the confused statements emanating from Washington. President Barack Obama told a new conference hours earlier that there was no threat to the reserve status of the dollar.

"I don't believe that there is a need for a global currency. The reason the dollar is strong right now is because investors consider the United States the strongest economy in the world with the most stable political system in the world," he said.

The Chinese proposal, outlined this week by central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan, calls for a "super-sovereign reserve currency" under IMF management, turning the Fund into a sort of world central bank.

The idea is that the IMF should activate its dormant powers to issue Special Drawing Rights. These SDRs would expand their role over time, becoming a "widely-accepted means of payments".

Mr Bloom said that any switch towards use of SDRs has direct implications for the currency markets. At the moment, 65pc of the world's $6.8 trillion stash of foreign reserves is held in dollars. But the dollar makes up just 42pc of the basket weighting of SDRs. So any SDR purchase under current rules must favour the euro, yen and sterling.

Beijing has the backing of Russia and a clutch of emerging powers in Asia and Latin America. Economists have toyed with such schemes before but the issue has vaulted to the top of the political agenda as creditor states around the world takes fright at the extreme measures now being adopted by the Federal Reserve, especially the decision to buy US government debt directly with printed money.

Mr Bloom said the US is discovering that the sensitivities of creditors cannot be ignored. "China holds almost 30pc of the world's entire reserves. What they say matters," he said.

Mr Geithner's friendly comments about the SDR plan seem intended to soothe Chinese feelings after a spat in January over alleged currency manipulation by Beijing, but he will now have to explain his own categorical assurance to Congress on Tuesday that he would not countenance any moves towards a world currency.

/rkelly using son's blogger ID