High Court to Hear Cheney-Energy Dispute

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court said Monday it will settle a fight stemming from Vice President Dick Cheney's contacts with the energy industry as the Bush administration was drafting its energy policy.

The court agreed to hear an appeal from the administration, which is fighting a lawsuit over the relationships between industry and the energy task force Cheney assembled. The panel met for several months in 2001 and issued a report that favored opening more public lands to oil and gas drilling and proposes a wide range of other steps supported by industry.

The suit, brought by environmental and energy groups, seeks to force the administration to provide details about the panel's records and inner workings. The groups allege the industry representatives in effect functioned as members of the government panel, which included Cabinet secretaries and lower-level government employees.

The watchdog group Judicial Watch and an environmental organization, the Sierra Club, had won permission from a lower court to gather records related to the energy task force.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-scotus-cheney,0,3567007.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[grannylib]

1. That's good news, at least it might get a shred of attention...

[tabasco]

8. Actually, it's bad news.

The Court of Appeals made the right decision which would have made Cheney give up the records of his secret energy meetings. The USSC could have refused to reconsider, basically affirming the lower court. The only reason I can see why they took this case is to overturn it, which will allow MORE government behind closed doors.

[0007]

11. I sure see it your way!

'Tis bad. Hope we're wrong guy.

[Rose Siding]

12. Maybe

But...could be they see several exec/secrecy cases coming and they want a decision for precedent so they don't have to deal with an even messier one.

You're probably right but it's so hard to tell.

[stevedeshazer]

2. This is a very important decision

The Felonious Five will really be under the microscope.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. It all seems good, but would this be the same Supreme Court that put

Cheney in office?

[9119495]

4. And the vote will be 5-4 no doubt.

Care to predict who votes on which side?

[priller]

5. The SC has made plenty of not-so-rightwing decisions lately

including the recent decision upholding the regulations on campaign ads, which has caused fits among RW groups like the NRA. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out.

[Rose Siding]

6. This is our last bite at this apple

The felonious five can't clean themselves up enough. Consider if they rule for Cheney- won't you be *convinced* there's something there and the fix was in?

[Rose Siding]

7. Hike

:kick:

I don't want anyone to miss this one!

[stevedeshazer]

9. kick

[Robbien]

10. The problem with this is the timing

From another article, it said the Supremes will hear the case in June, but the Energy bill will be up in Congress again in January. The Energy bill has no chance of passing if it is proven in court that the Energy companies were involved in structuring the bill. But if the bill passes before the suit, all that will happen is small fines for everyone involved in the suit.