Lawsuit filed against Gonzales, DOJ officials.
By on Aug 16th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Lawsuit filed against Gonzales, DOJ officials.
Yesterday, six attorneys “rejected from civil service positions at the Justice Department filed a lawsuit” against “former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and three other top officials for allegedly violating their rights by taking politics into consideration” in the hiring process for the Honors and Summer Law Intern Programs. The complaint states that the Gonzales’s Justice Department oversaw the “gross deprivation of hundreds of individuals’ constitutional rights” in “an extraordinary, and uniquely successful, conspiracy to achieve political results.”
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I hope they bankrupt Gonzales, Goodling, etc financially. These people are already morally bankrupt.
August 16th, 2008 at 1:56 pmWith two inspector-general reports specifically stating that these folks violated the law, perhaps this civil case will be more successful, having already established a prima facie (sp?) case against the defendants.
August 16th, 2008 at 1:59 pmHang ‘em high.
August 16th, 2008 at 2:15 pmSince the GOP have loaded the “activist courts” with their own people, any lawsuits related to law, order, and justice will be either thrown out or ruled in favor of the corporate, GOP contributors. Just ask Valerie Plame.
August 16th, 2008 at 2:19 pmI’m thinking that by the time this gets to trial it will be a year from now at least. The DOK will have changed and I’m guessing their won’t be a protective Congress to interfere ( on the ramifications of taking legal action against the legal authority–the DOJ). So this might actually work-out and early in the new admin (assuming the Dems sweep the elections). So, jolly good timing.
August 16th, 2008 at 2:21 pmSure they violated the law, but since when is that a crime? They’ve gotten so much bad publicity that they’ve already paid their debt to society. What could possibly be gained by a civil suit that will be thrown out since they were acting in the scope of their job?
August 16th, 2008 at 2:23 pmThe real irony is that W can not grant a pardon or exemption in a civil case.
August 16th, 2008 at 2:27 pmWaltTheMan, that is what his appointed judges are for – they can (and will) dismiss these cases.
Not trying to be cynical, in terms of the treason, war crimes, crimes against humanity, this are relatively minor charges.
They steal elections, have destroyed the 4th amendment, and the Dems have cooperated all the way.
They can even lock up former Democratic governors (i.e. Don Siegelman) on fraudulent charges and the Democratic party won’t say boo.
Eventually we will need to talk about how the Democratic party has enabled the criminality of this administration. Until then, don’t expect justice.
August 16th, 2008 at 2:35 pmIt is about time those who were directly negatively effected in their hiring opportunity stood up.
I just wonder since President Bush considers himself the CEO of America, Which makes Gonzales an executive in the company.
Will the courts rule that a company now has the legal right to hire who it wants for whatever reason. Disregarding the EEOC et al ?
The courts would somehow forget that these are tax payer funded jobs as their own as Judges?
Does anyone think a Supreme Court 5/4 ruling would not result
if it made it that far? Alito, Scalia, Roberts, Thomas have all been hired exclusively on their political partisan lifes work. Not the Constitutional jurisprudence or the will of the people.
The will of the people of the right perhaps. The corporate interests maybe, the whim of a partisan president and partisan political party that demands returns on their job placement investments of these Supreme Court Justices, Definately.
Atty Gen Mukasey has already turned a partisan blind eye to these injustices and I see no reason certain SCJ’s would back Mukasey. Isn’t it obvious that is why they are there?
When Mukasey refuses to persue injustices as this nations Atty. Gen., he is not performing his job. Unless of course his job is political partisanship (protecting his party’s people).
August 16th, 2008 at 2:41 pmWhy do we not fire Mukasey or at least demote him, pay him less or something?
Will Mukasey recieve a President Bush (CEO of corporate America) Golden parachute once Bush, Cheney and the GOP bankrupt the Company?
I hope Gonzales et al. lose their shirts!
Although, we have already seen that there are so many politically appointed judges in the appeals system that being in the right doesn’t guarantee a win.
August 16th, 2008 at 2:42 pmI’ve been waiting and hoping to see this come to litigation!
August 16th, 2008 at 2:51 pmEven if rethug judges rule against the rule of law, gonzo e. al. will need to have leagal representation, and that will cost them. I hope everyone who was turned down for a job during the last 8 years files suit, one after another until gonzo and gooding and the rest of the sleaze are broke and broken.
August 16th, 2008 at 3:01 pmDon’t hold your breath yall, I tried it over the FISA vote and all I got was blue in the face, light headed and in general royaly pissed off…..Blessings
August 16th, 2008 at 3:05 pmIn 4 months and 15 days, Bush will not have a bat’s chance in hell of appointing any federal judges. In actuality, that window is only 2 months and 19 days, ignoring conventions and other days off. Of the conservative crew, Scalia and Thomas should disappear, when family longevity is factored in, should the democrats seal in two consecutive terms.
August 16th, 2008 at 3:22 pmCynics like you think that will happen if a republican is elected?
You talk about how they destroyed Siegleman who you lump in with all democrats as being no better than a republican and then act like someone should have defended him.
You confuse me with your logic. Which is it? Are all democrats as bad as republicans or not?
August 16th, 2008 at 3:35 pmWhen will ALL this SHAME end?! OsiSpeaks.com
August 16th, 2008 at 3:38 pmBobwurst – you assume that gonz and folks will have to pay for attorneys out of there own pockets – bad assumption.
There are any number of ways those behind the crimes of these people will absorb any and all resulting legal costs – this represents nothing more than a minor inconvenience to gonz and any of the criminal cabal that gets caught up in litigation.
Many seem to forget that the folks in front of the cameras and microphones are actually just the public face for a much larger gang of crooks – smart thieves that know you need to be very quiet and out-of-sight when you steal.
August 16th, 2008 at 4:10 pmFred – point is that the dems have not taken any meaningful action, even when one of their own has been railroaded into jail.
It isn’t cynical to talk about objective facts – it was the DEMS that sold out the 4th amendment by even allowing FISA with immunity to come to a vote.
In fact, we were sold out by Obama who had earlier promised to filabuster any bill with immunity.
Those are facts, my friend, however “inconvenient” they are to your world view.
Continue to blame the messenger if it makes you feel good, but surely most that read these threads are able to step back and look at what is really happening.
August 16th, 2008 at 4:13 pmSomething to consider,
If the only way to get some justice is to file law suits for cash, the corporate method of justice. Sue for damages.
Then there is no criminal charges and only reparations.
This is the corporate America. This doesn’t apply to someone that doesn’t have wealth. It further establishes “criminal violations” with jail sentences for those of unthinkable and for those without wealth, well they deserve jail time to teach them a lesson.
Reinforcing the dual court justice system in America…..
Fines for the wealthy and fines and prison for those with less that aren’t that important yet make good example for the rabble.
Running Gov’t as a Corporation = ? (your answer).
Will Mukasey try to use the Corporate sheild in defense of these wrong doers?
If these cases get in court, I suspect Mukasey who would not lift a finger at these crimes. The Atty Gen most definately will provide assistance to their defense in the law suits………….
August 16th, 2008 at 4:20 pm> Since the GOP have loaded the “activist courts”
> with their own people
dont think it should matter in this case. i predict eventually this one will probably get to a jury if not settled. i dont see any cognizant argument for this one getting dismissed on summary judgement. while i dont necessarily agree with the judges ruling in the plame case, there WERE reasonable, or at least arguably valid grounds for dismissing the plame suit as a matter of law.. (in that case, using the “whatever we were accused of doing was in the scope of our duties as vice-president, so we can’t be sued for it because its a not justicable political question” argument.)
also,
August 16th, 2008 at 4:24 pmsome things are just too difficult for even the most partisan of judges to swallow..
for example
look how a loyal bushie judge ruled in the meyers suppeana. he tried to punt, but in the end even he was unable to come up with any excuse as to why she shouldnt show…
Lawsuit? He needs to be arrested and tried and convicted and sent to prison where he belongs. The man is a crook, just like his “bosses” bush and dead-eye dick.
August 16th, 2008 at 4:25 pmruling from a loyal bushie judge: White House Aides Not Immune From Congressional Subpoenas.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5489519&page=1
also, reading further about the case this thread refers to, looks like they have a strong case..theres a law against politicizing hiring decisions in the government, goodling cleaarly violated it, and her grant of immunity isnt going to protect her AT ALL in a civil context…so Id say this one could do some harm to these ghouls and force them to talk..in fact, goodlings grant of immunity will probably dissallow her from taking the 5th in the civil proceeding..its a sorry state of affairs when rejected interns may have a better shot at getting the truth out of these people than congress did..
August 16th, 2008 at 4:31 pm#18 another Joe, Thank you for that post…..Blessings
August 16th, 2008 at 4:32 pmAnother Joe Says:
——————————————————————————–
Bobwurst – you assume that gonz and folks will have to pay for attorneys out of there own pockets – bad assumption.
There are any number of ways those behind the crimes of these people will absorb any and all resulting legal costs – this represents nothing more than a minor inconvenience to gonz and any of the criminal cabal that gets caught up in litigation.
***Just a couple of ways for them to get money to channel to a GOP criminal defense fund is for a Conservative CEO to lower wages on its workforce, take that money and send it to; “in care of Real Christian conservative Americans defense fund”. This way the working class pay for it?
The CEO of Bear Sterns, Fannie Mae, or Freddy Mac could recieve bonus’s for doing a splended job of taking taxpayer money (as well as their board of directors) and then donate it to the conservative cause.
We can lower taxes on the Oil Companies and they can take the savings and donate it to the defense.
Over pay a defense contractor that they will take a portion of that and dhannel it to their defense as they do with GOP candidates at present.
August 16th, 2008 at 4:32 pmChocolate Jesus – I’d like to agree with you heartily. But I’m still woried about the possibility of both blanket pardons and the govt claiming immunity.
August 16th, 2008 at 5:56 pmI am optimistic that things will end badly for many of Bush’s loyal insiders. Civil suits like this could make life miserable for the gang, and I’m not ruling out criminal indictments, either. I suspect that plenty of law-and-order Republican judges and U.S. Attorneys are teed off about how Bush and the gang have turned the DOJ into a joke.
When the GOP lies in ruins after the next election, the search for a scapegoat will be on, and the torch-bearing mob won’t have to look far to find someone to blame. Bush and his friends will be toxic waste to the party.
August 16th, 2008 at 7:54 pmChocolate Jesus Says:
ruling from a loyal bushie judge: White House Aides Not Immune From Congressional Subpoenas
You forget – loyal bushie judges CAN make that ruling because the dems refuse to take meaningful action to enforce the subpoenas anyhow.
So those rulings don’t really mean a thing, do they? They can let the subpoenas stand because the dems sat down and have let the crooks off the hook – at least until the clock runs out and chimpy gives them all blanket pardons.
August 16th, 2008 at 11:00 pmRobt – spot on. And don’t forget the TENS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS that are totally unaccounted for in Iraq. You and I are paying for all of this – certainly gonz and the rest of the crooks are not going to.
And even worse – most well-intentioned dems are opening their wallets and giving the corporacy their hard earned cash – money that also ends up in the slush funds the criminal cabal maintain.
We are doomed to endlessly pounding on our keyboards until the mega-blogs that proclaim they represent “liberals” and “progressives” use their reach to organize meaningful action – boycotts of walmart, applebees, staples, mcdonalds, and the rest of the corpocracy that is actually behind everything we blog about.
Being and alternative version of the “101st keyboarding brigade” isn’t going to change a thing.
August 16th, 2008 at 11:06 pmThe facts are that if a republican gets elected you can kiss all your ideals goodbye. Please think “Supreme Court” and then rethink your diparaging of all democrats on this progressive board.
Talk about inconvenient facts…..democrats are not the same as republicans. You would throw out any chance to change things in a meaningful way over one issue that we all disagree with. Real thoughtful…..not.
August 17th, 2008 at 10:16 am