Always speculated, never admitted. Until Now
Associated Press: Judges conspire for the sake of politics
Today, according to the Associated Press, a South Dakota judge seems to be admitting that it's the sole reason he's hanging on:
Read all of this earth shattering artcle here at the Aberdeen Amercian News.U.S. District Judge Charles Kornmann, 69, put off his retirement after two fellow Democratic judges agreed to share his workload - a move that could allow someone from their party to get Kornmann's job if a Democrat is elected president in 2008.
Kornmann and one of the other judges acknowledged the arrangement in interviews with The Associated Press. Joseph Haas, the federal clerk of court for South Dakota, also confirmed some of the Kornmann's caseload was reallocated last fall.
and...
"The other judges don't want me to retire," Kornmann said. "I don't plan to do anything for a time. I could have taken senior status in September but in view of them helping out that much, I decided not to do it."
When asked why they helped, Kornmann joked: "They think I'm such a wonderful judge. It has nothing to do with who the president is."
He added: "It might have something to do with it."
and...
Schreier declined to comment on whether she wants to keep Kornmann's seat from slipping into Republican hands.
Piersol said, "I would just say we're helping Judge Kornmann out. What he does is up to him."
Wow. I have to give big props to the AP. I don't know that I've ever observed the South Dakota press put federal judges on the hotseat for their political leanings. There is LOTS more of this story in the article - go read it on-line NOW, or be prepared to pick up your newspaper in the AM.
Comments
And for those of you who don't remember this far back, Republicans have played politics with Judge Kornmann. He was nominated to be a judge by President Carter, and the Republicans held it up until Carter's term was up then Reagan appointed someone else. Kornmann didn't get another shot until the Clinton years.
The bottom line is that Judge Kornmann gets to decide for himself when to retire, just like every other federal judge.
BTW - I would disagree that Rehnquist decided not to retire during the Clinton years because of politics. He also refused to retire once Bush had become president. Indeed, he never retired at all - he died more than four years into Bush's presidency.
Not to say that judges and justices don't do this. I've read that Sandra Day O'Connor told friends (privately) that she hoped Bush would be reelected in 2004 so that she could retire. And I strongly suspect that Justices Stevens and Ginsburg are waiting on the 2008 election to announce their plans.
You people need a life.
Leave him alone. He, like all other federal judges, gets to make the decision when and if to retire.
No, it is "partisanship, partisanship",.. but every now and then that is the best for the country. It is certainly better in this case than another wingnut loon in the judiciary at a time when we have a president who thinks he is a king with unlimited unitary powers.
Note, I thought Kornman was out to lunch when he decided on the basis of handicap laws that the SD corporate farming restriction was unconstitutional. That was one tortured silly decision.
Doug Wiken...Blogger is again being fickle and not accepting my blogger google identity.