(4) Despite unambiguous jurisdiction at the time of the acts and unambiguous jurisdiction at the time of the filing of the complaints, the Tenth Circuit claims it's helpless to act.
The Tenth Circuit does not explain, or even address, this absurdity. The court's order argues that "The Act thus applies only to complaints that allege that one of those covered judges [which Kavanaugh was] 'has engaged in conduct prejudicial to the effective and expeditious administration of the courts.'" [which Kavanaugh patently did as a circuit judge]. The court holds that whatever Kavanaugh did as a judge that was complained about while he was still a judge can all be ignored because of an "intervening event," such as a judge's death. Kavanaugh did not die, although he kind of went to heaven. The court cites Rule 11(e) to justify its abdication of anything like the rule of law. Rule 11(e) in its entirety says:
Intervening Events. The chief judge may conclude the complaint proceeding in whole or in part upon determining that intervening events render some or all of the allegations moot or make remedial action impossible.
Kavanaugh's elevation to the high court did not make any of the complaints moot. If anything, his elevation made them more pertinent than ever. Kavanaugh's elevation to the high court hardly made remedial action impossible, although it probably makes remedial action more difficult. The court's order cites four precedents for its action, three of which are irrelevant (involving judges who were transferred, retired, or whose objectionable behavior was before becoming a judge). The one relevant citation involves several judges for whom the dismissed complaint is ruled "frivolous" as well as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who is dismissed "for want of jurisdiction" as a sitting justice. The relevance here is about as slim as it gets, comparing one "frivolous" complaint to Justice Kavanaugh's 83 complaints acknowledged by the court to be "serious."
As described by the court's order, the judicial council held no hearings, examined no evidence for its probative value, or otherwise investigated any of the 83 complaints against Kavanaugh. The court dismissed those complaints solely on the tenuous jurisdictional basis that they were out of the court's reach. The court chose not to discuss any other possibly more judicious responses to the prickly Kavanaugh case, leaving the country still saddled with a justice palpably unfit for his office.
The court defended its conclusion by noting that Congress, in other instances, had indeed included justices under its statutes and offered as an example 28 US Code 455 "Disqualification of justice, judge, or magistrate judge." This statute is likely to become increasingly important as long as Kavanaugh remains on the bench, since it mandates that a justice "shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned." Kavanaugh's televised performance of personal bias against Democrats and his stated conspiracy beliefs should be enough to disqualify him from a wide range of political cases. With 83 serious conduct complaints to be examined, it might take less time to assess what cases there are where Kavanaugh could reasonably avoid disqualification.
Nor is the impeachment of Justice Kavanaugh off the table. That's a distant outcome under present circumstances, but as the court's order notes in its penultimate paragraph:
"The importance of ensuring that governing bodies with clear jurisdictions are aware of the complaints should also be acknowledged. See Nat'l Comm'n on Judicial Discipline and Removal, "Report of the Nat'l Comm'n on Judicial Discipline & Removal," 152 F.R.D. 265, 342-43 (1994). Accordingly we request that the Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability of the Judicial Conference of the United States forward a copy of this Order to any relevant Congressional committees for their information." [emphasis added]
For now, the Republican judicial atrocity represented by Justice Kavanaugh sits undisturbed. The Tenth Circuit's order is subject to appeal until January 29, 2019. As of January 9, a Tenth Circuit court spokesperson declined to say if any appeal had yet been filed, citing appellant confidentiality. One of the self-identified complainants, retired attorney Larry Behrendt, filed his five-page complaint October 2, concluding:
"Judge Kavanaugh made repeated, inappropriate partisan statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee during his testimony on September 28, and is thus guilty of misconduct under the Act [28 USC 351ff] and the Rules. This misconduct is particularly egregious, as it took place in front of millions of people, at a time when scrutiny of the law and the judiciary is at its highest, and where Kavanaugh had a clear duty to display judicial temperament and deportment."
After the Tenth Circuit Judicial Council skirted any serious consideration of Behrendt's complaint or the 82 others, the attorney published an op-ed explaining why he thought the court was wrong. He noted that the law is silent on how to handle a nexus of offenses under transitional circumstances like Kavanaugh's. That hardly makes it likely that the intent of Congress was to give a lying partisan a free pass to the Supreme Court. Behrendt says he hasn't decided whether to appeal the Tenth Circuit order.
Maybe the Tenth Circuit will find some backbone. Maybe the chief justice will care more about his court's integrity than the slippery hack who is its newest member. Until someone finds the courage to confront the truth of this legal fiasco, the rest of us are stuck with a lifetime travesty of justice.
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