Court defies Congress, heads to Hawaiian junket

This weekend, judges, lawyers and staff of the country's 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will convene in Maui, Hawaii, for a government-funded conference that they refused to cancel despite pressure from Republican lawmakers who balked at the junket's $1 million price tag.

Yeah? Interesting. Tell me more.

Two Supreme Court Justices, Samuel Alito and Anthony Kennedy, will attend the three-day event and are scheduled to speak briefly on the conference's final day. Their mere presence will add tens of thousands of dollars to the conference's security costs, law enforcement sources told The Washington Examiner.

Right, so? Keep them on the bench...Oh, no can do? Why?

Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski recently told Congress it was too late to cancel the event, which was booked two years in advance. Senate aides dispute that claim. After combing through the contract, the aides determined that the court could cancel the event by paying a penalty fee that would save most of the taxpayers' money.

And what was the cancellation fee to pay, instead of the $1 million conference cost?

Grassley and Sessions asked the court to cancel or move the conference nearly three months ago after learning of the event's potential price tag. Contracts provided to senators by the court show that the only nonrefundable fee would have amounted to about $2,500.

Oh, I see. So shall we add up the difference? Surely I don't need to do that and be insulting to the ATS populace. Right, moving right along...

Senate aides said the court could have at least saved money by booking cheaper rooms at the Hyatt Resorts Hawaii, where some of the reserved ocean-view rooms cost as much as $1,500, a contract shows. The maximum government per diem for judges is $397 a day.

"This does not mean the per diem is exceeded, as they are likely part of a larger price agreement," Republican aides noted in reference to the high-priced rooms. "But it does indicate a lower average room cost for the taxpayer could be achieved at a less posh destination."

Oh no, are you kidding? Less posh accommodations for us better than the rest of the world judges? How dare you suggest that, even if people are starving on the streets.

While the court refused to cancel this year's Hawaiian event, Kozinski told senators that in recognition of "present budget constraints" he would postpone the 2014 conference in California.

Nice, how noble. Just another pretty picture of our oh-so-perfect government at work.

washingtonexaminer.com...

:shk:

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Not surprising, considering it is the 9th circuit! Just look at some of their findings.......Is it a wonder they don't mind raping the tax payers?

I seem to remember that Obama sat some of his thuggery into the ninth circuit court system...in which case we can assume that this party is just another way that Obama is fleecing the system in an effort to reward his thugs for undermining truth, justice, and the American way.