Judge (Bybee) takes step to air his views

[struggle4progress]

UNLV fellow, Bush memo author seeks to meet Titus
By J. Patrick Coolican, Lisa Mascaro
Thu, May 7, 2009 (2 a.m.)

Washington — As criticism of federal appellate court Judge Jay Bybee mounts for authorizing harsh interrogation techniques as a Bush administration lawyer, the Nevada jurist has reached out to members of the state’s congressional delegation, apparently to tell his side of the story.

The step suggests that Bybee believes maintaining the judicial branch’s customary distance from the political process is no longer in his best interest. Congress has the power to remove him from his seat on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ...

Now Bybee is apparently eager to make his case. The judge, who lives in Southern Nevada and has his office in Las Vegas, reached out to Democratic Rep. Dina Titus, who represents Bybee in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District. Titus was contacted last month after The New York Times called for Bybee’s impeachment ...

Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley’s office was also contacted by Bybee’s representative in April. Berkley’s spokesman said the two have not met, and he was unsure whether they would ...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/may/07/judge-takes-step-air-his-views/

hattips:

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/05/with_impeachment_talk_swirling_bybee_reaches_out_t.php
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/05/07/bybee-nevada-delegation/

[Democrats_win]

1. Another Anti-Rulon Gardner Repub: he won't let his record speak for itself.

It's because his record is so awful that he must defend it. Bush W. himself spent most of his presidency defending his illegal invasion of Iraq. His defense was worthless because invading Iraq was wrong. Now the bushies will spend the next decade defending torture. Again, that will be useless because the torture was wrong. It can't be defended.

Rulon Gardner is the olympic wrestler who retired with class: he left his empty shoes on the mat (it's a bit of a tradition in wrestling). This act really says, I left it all on the mat and my record speaks for itself. The Repukes are like Bret Favre: they keep coming back and making it worse.

[MasonJar]

2. I hope the dems who were contacted have enough backbone to resist

his sudden attentions.