When does the drilling restart

[Salty]

Ask the judge

 

[KenH]

Would this be considered to be "judicial activism"?

 

[targus]

Would this be considered to be "judicial activism"?

No - it falls under the heading of checks and balances

 

[Crabtownboy]

Would this be considered to be "judicial activism"?

The judge has a Hummer and needs lots of gas. :laugh:

Sure it is judicial activism ... but then what court decision is not activism in one way or another?

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

Would this be considered to be "judicial activism"?

Of course not Ken, that only applies when conservative rulings are involved.

In other words, if we like it it is checks and balances, if we don't like it it is judicial activism.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Judge Who Nixed Drilling Ban Had Oil Investments

Looks like a conflict of interest to me. Ethically he should have removed himself from the case.

The Louisiana judge who struck down the Obama administration's six-month ban on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico has reported extensive investments in the oil and gas industry, according to financial disclosure reports. He's also a new member of a secret national security court.

http://www.aolnews.com/gulf-oil-spi...xed-drilling-ban-has-oil-investments/19527477

 

[targus]

Looks like a conflict of interest to me. Ethically he should have removed himself from the case.

How did you reach this conclusion?

The report provided no information as to the extent of his investment holdings.

 

[Crabtownboy]

How did you reach this conclusion?

The report provided no information as to the extent of his investment holdings.

You didn't read the report! The amount was shown in the 2nd paragraph.

U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman, a 1983 appointee of President Ronald Reagan, reported owning less than $15,000 in stock in 2008 in Transocean Ltd., the company that owned the sunken Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.

Anyway, the amount does not matter. To own stock in a company and then sitting as a judge in a case that affects that company is unethical and is a conflict of interest ... his monetary interests. An honest judge would have removed himself from the case.

From the same report.

Feldman's 2008 financial disclosure report - the most recent available - also showed investments in Ocean Energy, a Houston-based company, as well as Quicksilver Resources, Prospect Energy, Peabody Energy, Halliburton, Pengrowth Energy Trust, Atlas Energy Resources, Parker Drilling and others. Halliburton was also involved in the doomed Deepwater Horizon project.

Other Gulf Coast judges have been honest.

He's one of many federal judges across the Gulf Coast region with money in oil and gas. Several have disqualified themselves from hearing spill-related lawsuits and others have sold their holdings so they can preside over some of the 200-plus cases.

 

[targus]

You didn't read the report! The amount was shown in the 2nd paragraph.

Yes, I did read the report.

But the figure of $15,000 does not tell us enough to know whether this amount is material to his entire investment holdings.

[Anyway, the amount does not matter. To own stock in a company and then sitting as a judge in a case that affects that company is unethical and is a conflict of interest ... his monetary interests. An honest judge would have removed himself from the case..

Without knowing if the amount of the investment is material there is no knowing if there is a conflict of interest.

By your thinking owning one share of stock would be a conflict of interest.

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

By your thinking owning one share of stock would be a conflict of interest.

I would agree with that.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Yes, I did read the report.

But the figure of $15,000 does not tell us enough to know whether this amount is material to his entire investment holdings.



Without knowing if the amount of the investment is material there is no knowing if there is a conflict of interest.

By your thinking owning one share of stock would be a conflict of interest.

One share is material interest. Didyou notice how many other companies he has investments in ... and you think he has no material interests.

Perhaps $15,000 is such a small amount to you, but I bet to most people $15,000 in one company would make them very interested in the health of the company.

He had material interest. Doing so makes his judgment suspect. He was unethical.