Thursday, April 14, 2005

Teddy's Troubled

The Senate's former top lawyer got bipartisan support Thursday for a seat on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, putting him in line to become the first of President Bush's second-term appellate nominees to be confirmed.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 14-4 to advance Utah lawyer Thomas Griffith's nomination for a seat on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia for approval. It was not immediately known when the Senate will consider the nomination.

Several Democrats have opposed Griffith. He was the Senate's general counsel during President Clinton's impeachment, but lost his District of Columbia law license for not paying bar association dues. He got the license back by paying what he owed.

Griffith, who became Brigham Young University's general counsel in 2003, does not have a law license in Utah. He told senators during his confirmation hearing that it is not uncommon in Utah for in-house counsel not be licensed in that state and that he serves the university more as an administrator and adviser. He said he relies on staff lawyers who are licensed in Utah when Utah issues come up.

But "his disregard of basic bar rules in Utah and the District of Columbia are extremely troubling," Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said in a statement.

"Extremely troubling" ? Do you know what is troubling you old reprobate? The fact that you left Mary Jo Kopechne to her fate at Chappaquiddick. How's that for troubling? Your basic disregard for the law and human life, oh how troubling that is senator! How dare you point a finger at someone else.

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