Federal Judge Tosses Out Forest Rules

[pinniped]

Source: Associated Press

A federal judge on Friday tossed out new Bush administration rules that gave national forest managers more discretion to approve logging and other commercial projects without lengthy environmental reviews.

U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled that the government failed to adequately consider the effects the rules would have on the environment and neglected to properly gather public comment on the issue.

Hamilton said in her written decision that the government couldn't institute the new rules until proper environmental reviews were conducted, but she declined to specify how the nation's 155 national forests should be managed until then.

The ruling overturns a key administration environmental rule that governs all 192 million acres of national forests and stops plans such as logging and mining in the parks.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/national/a160422D60.DTL

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Fucking crooks.

[Skink]

1. They wouldn't dare.

Would they?

[InvisibleTouch]

2. Good on that judge! n/t

[napi21]

3. Oops! Did the Rover slip up and not replace a realistic judge?

I'm certainly gladhe did, but I thought hisBIG OLAN was to make sureShrub replaced all Federal judges &Fedprosecutors with Real Bushies so they could push this kind of junk through. Hmmm, maybe the Rover is losing his touch?

[aquaman]

4. These kind of stories make me feel good inside....

Thank you U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton!!!!!

[orleans]

5. THANK YOU JUDGE PHYLLIS HAMILTON

what a wonderful person!

[buddysmellgood]

6. Keep hope alive.

[Robbien]

7. If you doubt that the Attorney Purge is all about stuff such as this

Over in Freeperville, the first thing they do when they see a ruling go against the wealthy crooks is they research the judge and/or attorney.

Hamilton, Phyllis Jean

Born 1952 in Jacksonville, IL

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U. S. District Court, Northern District of California
Nominated by William J. Clinton on February 9, 2000, to a new seat created by 104 Stat. 5089, 5105; Confirmed by the Senate on May 24, 2000, and received commission on May 25, 2000.

U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, 1991-2000

Education:
Stanford University, B.A., 1974

Santa Clara University School of Law, J.D., 1976

Professional Career:
Deputy public defender, Office of the Public Defender, CA, 1976-1980
Manager, EEO Programs, Farinon Electric Corporation, 1980
Administrative judge, U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, San Francisco Regional Office, CA, 1980-1985
Court commissioner, Municipal Court, Oakland-Piedmont-Emeryville Judicial District, 1985-1991

Race or Ethnicity: African American

Gender: Female

Their whole thread full of attacks on this judge and other liberal judges.

This is another example of why the people need to start electing "judges." The morons and jerks we have posing as "judges" right now are totally out of control.

. . .

or have their home addresses and phone numbers posted in the paper every day they go to work. If they think there may be a lot of people out there waiting for them to come home, they may make different decisions on the bench than they do now living behind armed guards and secret hideaways.

. . .

How can you control 3 branches of gubmint and not get your judges? Losers. If we could stack the courts, it really wouldn't make all that much difference who won the next 30 years. If the Dems try something, everything they believe is unconstitutional.

. . .

freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1809661/posts

[salin]

9. that last comment says it all...

they want to stack judges - not with fair or justice minded judges - but with folks who view the world in the same radical-reactionary way that they view the world.

[DanWithAngel]

13. people need to start electing "judges."

regardless of the source i would prefer if we had more of a say in these matters.

the risk (obviously) of a bad admin making these decisions is too great. power to more people.

[annabanana]

10. The freeper thread is a directive to thug patrols...

They celebrate thugs, and encourage thugs. This is all you need to know to understand what they are up to.

[annabanana]

8. Hooray for Judge Hamilton.. I hope she stays off the hit lists!

Every Judge has to be looked at now.

[texpatriot2004]

11. Thank you Judge for protecting the forest. May the forest be with

you.

[Robb]

12. It's a good ruling, BUT

...the BUT is that pending forest plans, like that in my beloved GMUG, will continue to be put on hold.

We've been waiting and waiting for a revised plan for years now. Just last week they released, finally, a draft that looked pretty good -- although, because of this just-overturned rule, it had broad, non-site-specific guidelines. Desired conditions, rather than actualy policy. The plan appeared to be that specific policy would be hashed out on a far more local level.

So yes, the article is correct in that this overturning will "stop plans such as logging and mining in the parks," but it also stops ALL plans for the time being. There is always a certain amount of logging and mining in parks, the idea is to have a balanced, comprehensive forest plan that addresses -- and hopefully minimizes -- that stuff.

[DanWithAngel]

14. yes, there is a compromise just waiting

either extreme in the matters of using natural resources is usually wrong. big hammers break things.

[madeline_con]

15. Judicial firings next? n/t

[AnOhioan]

16. Kudos to the judge...

The right wing has not contaminated ALL the courts, there are still judges with common sense and respect for the law.

[brentspeak]

17. This is why Bush and his cronies want to get their stooges onto the federal courts

So that neutral judges like Phyllis Hyman aren't around to stymie Bush cronies' agendas.