Internet + Law = Danger!

As House Majority Leader Tom DeLay continues his campaign against judges, it gives Bostonist some pride to recall that it was a decision from our own Supreme Judicial Court that really got it all started.court_front_med.jpg But DeLay's latest comments have left us a little perplexed. He singled out Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy (who is not nearly the most liberal judge on that court) and criticized him for doing his own research ON THE INTERNET, a practice that DeLay called "outrageous." Naturally, Bostonist is a huge fan of the Internet, not only because we owe our existence to it, but because of the access it provides to porn a wide variety of useful information. We also have it on good authority that lawyers and judges can use the Internet to read laws and prior court decisions. So what could it be that DeLay is afraid Kennedy will see on the Internet? Dear readers, we do not know. Any theories?

Contributed by Josh Michtom

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Comments [rss]

  • Josh

    Yeah, I think he was really upset that Kennedy cited international law and assumed that he must have gotten access to said law via the Internet. (In fact, the parties' briefs in the case he was alluding to cited international law.) Then again, as Chris points out, DeLay wasn't especially clear, and as Ed intimates, he's a huge idiot.

  • ed

    and tom delay's tireless crusade against ethics and responsible behavior rolls on!

  • Chris

    I think he must have meant that judges should not do outside research into the facts of a case. American courts rely on open and adversary presentation of evidence, and it is not radical to suggest that judges shouldn't conduct independent investigations, denying parties the opportunity to respond to, or even identify, the evidence the judge is relying on, or to challenge its admissibility. This is particularly true at the appellate level, where factual inquiry of any kind is rare.

    Even if that is correct, though, it was totally unclear from his statement, which makes it sound like he thinks Internet research is worse than other kinds of research, and the rest of the interview (http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/fox... does betray a pretty simple-minded view of the judiciary.

  • Disseminating opinions scare him. So does electricity.

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