Report finds appeals court judges violated conflict-of-interest laws in 26 cases

WASHINGTON – More than a dozen federal appeals court judges have violated federal conflict-of-interest laws over the past three years, throwing into doubt decisions in 26 cases, according to an analysis from a watchdog group.

The Center for Public Integrity, in a report being released Monday, found 24 cases in which judges ruled despite owning stock in a company appearing before them. In two other cases, the judges had financial ties to law firms representing one of the parties.

We love to talk about the corruption we see in the other dirty branches of government, but even the judicial branch is corrupt. How can we trust the judicial branches to do the right thing and correct wrongs done by the other branches when they are just as corrupt? We look to judges to be impartial, it seems a lot of the time that they are not.

There is no penalty for judges who fail to withdraw from cases involving a conflict of interest. The judge must simply notify the parties involved and give them an opportunity to object. The appeals court can then decide whether to rehear the case with a different panel of judges.

What can we do about it? It seems everywhere I look in government, they are looking the other way for each other. It really is like the whole blue line BS we see in the police department. They won't dare make too much of a fuss and call each other out, because they are all dirty, and have plenty to get called out on themselves.

Sourc e

Some examples would be nice. No Federal Judge is going to be able to get away with insider trading, racketeering or any other of the RICO statues for the simple reason that the inquiries on trades are done anomalously by the SEC. They never know who they are investigating until they find evidence of a crime.

More importantly there are just to many greedy people, mainly hedge fund managers and short sellers, to allow anyone to get away with what they can't get away with. If you use your influence to manipulate a stock or security tens of thousands of greedy shorts are going to hit the roof because you flucked up their position.

Perhaps, I am reading this wrong. Show some examples.

a reply to: TKDRL

Well, that would appear to rather comprehensively destroy any validity that the courts process in the States might have had.

This also raises other questions in my opinion. First of all, and perhaps most pressing, is that if a judge will continue to try cases, despite having a vested interest in its outcome financially, then what other violations of the spirit of the law are they involved with? If they can be bought for mere money, paultry baubles to hang about their lairs, then how exposed are they to threats, to coersion from those who occupy greater station than their own?

Second, these twenty four, or twenty six cases which are under scrutiny at the moment... what are the chances that these are just the matters which have been discovered thus far, rather than the entire list of cases which may have been subject to an impartial judgement?

Third, does the apparant molestation of fair play by judges extend to matters pertaining to criminal investigations as well as civil matters? This subject raises great concern in me, and I am not even a resident of the USA. The reason it raises such concern, is that law, justice, these things are important to me, and should be to all free people on the face of this planet. If you cannot trust that a judge, sitting upon a criminal or civil case, is not in the midst of a conflict of interest, then what value has the system within which that person works?

I have to confess, I am a person who favours the absolute. In my opinion, either a justice system is perfect, or invalid. I realise that this places my own nations courts process in the same boat as that of the US, but I feel no great shyness about doing so, for ours is just as flawed, in just as many ways. However, knowing that, and knowing how long it has been this way, ought to do nothing to salve the souls of good people, who want to live in a society based on equality and fairness, instead of prestige and arbitrary placement of vast power, in the hands of untrustworthy persons.