Should Every Federal Judge Be Impeached?
by TChris
More ominous words from Tom DeLay as he continues his effort to distract the nation from his ethical lapses. Preaching to the conservative choir at a conference entitled “Confronting the Judicial War on Faith,” DeLay announced (via videotape) that "Judicial independence does not equal judicial supremacy," adding:
"I believe the judiciary branch of our government has overstepped its authority on countless occasions, overturning and in some cases just ignoring the legitimate will of the people."
Substitute “the right-wing agenda” for “the legitimate will of the people” to make the statement slightly more accurate. Of course, the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause requires courts to honor the Constitution when it is “the will of the people” to disregard it, a foundational principle of our country that DeLay and his ilk choose to ignore.
DeLay’s arrogant desire to substitute right-wing ideology for constitutional protections was impressively matched by Senator Tom Coburn’s chief of staff, Michael Schwartz, who called for “mass impeachment” of judges. Opposing that idea is the extremely liberal Chief Justice.
In a recent report, Chief Justice Rehnquist called one such measure "unwarranted and ill-considered" and said "a judge's judicial acts may not serve as a basis for impeachment."
Will DeLay and Coburn start impeachment proceedings against the Chief Justice for daring to oppose their scheme to establish Congressional supremacy over the courts?
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