The Washington Post - USA (2022-05-29)

A6 EZ RE THEWASHINGTONPOST.SUNDAY,MAY 29 , 2022

BYSPENCERS.HSU

Aprominent Republican-
appointedfederaljudgeon
Thursdayjoined calls for Su-
premeCourt justicesto besub-
jecttoanethicscode,sayinga
failurebyjudgestopolicetheir
ownmisconductlessensAmeri-
cans’respectfor thejudiciary.
SeniorU.S. DistrictJudge Reg-
gieB. Waltonof D.C.toldattend-
eesofaconferenceinChicago
focusedonthreats totheinde-
pendenceof thecourts thatitwas
“unimaginablethatwehavea
segmentofourfederaljudiciary
that’snotsubjecttoanethics
code,”Reutersreported.
Walton,appointedin 2001by
PresidentGeorgeW.Bush,ac-
knowledged hiscommentsmight
beconsidered“heresy,”buthe
wasconcernedthatinactionby
judges couldbe in partresponsi-
bleforcongressionallegislation

onthejudiciarythatheworried

couldaffectits independence,

thenewsservicesaid.

“We’ve had somejudges

who’vebeen engaged in atro-

cious behavior, sexual assault,

sexual intimidation and other

misconduct,” Walton said, ac-

cordingtoReuters. “A ndmany

timeswehaven’t beenproactive

in punishingthemandsanction-

ingthemfor whatthey’vedone.”

In aninterviewFriday, Walton

acknowledgedtheremarks,say-

ing,“Obviously whenthose

thingsoccurand judgesaren’t

heldaccountable, it doesaffect

therespectfor thejudiciary.”

Walton,aformer presiding

judgeontheU.S. ForeignIntelli-

gence Surveillance Courtap-

pointedbyChiefJusticeJohnG.

RobertsJr.,saidSupremeCourt

justicesshouldbesubjecttoa

codeofconductlikeall other

federalandstatejudges.

“A sacourtsystem—federal,

stateandotherwise—weare

underscrutinyandunderattack.

AndIthinkthere’s anattemptby

some to undermineour inde-

pendence.Andbecause of thatI

thinkall judges shouldbe subject

to acodeof ethics,”Waltonsaid

in hisinterview.

Walton said he understood

fromThursday’sconference,

hostedbytheNationalJudicial

College, thattheSupremeCourt

is consideringsuchacode,“andI

thinkthat’sagoodthing.”

TheSupremeCourtdidnot

respondtoarequestforcom-

ment.

Arecordingof thepanelwas

notimmediatelyavailable,con-

ferenceofficials said,andWalton

saidhedidnotspeakfrompre-

paredremarks.

Theconferencecameat atur-

bulenttimeforthejudiciary, as

PresidentBidensignedlegisla-

tionthismonthrequiringgreater

disclosure of judges’ potential

financialconflicts, and the

HouseJudiciaryCommitteead-

vancedabilltorequire theSu-

premeCourttoadoptanethics

code.

In March, manylegalethicists

expressedshock at revelations

thatVirginia“Ginni”Thomas,

married to Justice Clarence

Thomas,repeatedlytextedWhite

HouseChiefofStaffMarkMead-

owstopursueoverturningthe

2020 presidential election as

PresidentDonaldTrumpsimul-

taneously threatenedtochal-

lengetheresults at theSupreme

Court.

Earlythismonth, adeeply

polarizedSupremeCourtvowed

to launchaleak investigation

afteradraft opinionthatwould

overturntherightto abortion

establishedinRoe v. Wadesent

shockwavesthroughthenation-

al politicallandscape.

Meanwhile, the Supreme

Court’sjusticesandothershave

resisted callsfromadvocatesand

lawmakers forindependentover-

sightofmatters suchasanti-

discrimination protections for

thejudiciary’smorethan30,0 00

employeesnationwide, wholack

thesamerights as othergovern-

mentandprivatesectorworkers.

Ever sinceJudge AlexKozinski

of theU.S. CourtofAppealsfor

the9thCircuitin California re-

tiredin2017amidallegationsof

workplacesexual misconduct,

leadersofthefederal judiciary

includingthechiefjusticehave

sought toencouragereporting

andeliminate barriersto holding

courtofficialsaccountable for

workplacegender discrimina-

tion,bullyingandracial insensi-

tivity. But theyhaveadmitted

thereismoretobedone.

Waltonsaidthathewasnot

thinkingof theThomasesat all in

his remarks, andthattheinci-

dentsofmisconduct to whichhe

alluded involved lower court

judgesatthefederal andstate

level,nottheSupremeCourt.

Instead,hesaidhewasde-

scribingajudicialsystem“under

attack”asaspeaker onaconfer-

ence paneltitled“Democracy

andtheCourts,”whichfocused

onforcestryingto politicizethe

courts and reducetheir inde-

pendence, including steps by

statelegislators or executive

branchmemberstocutjudicial

budgetsortointimidate,remove

orretaliateagainstjudges for

decisions theydid notlike.

Walton said,“Imade those

commentsbecauseIfeltthey

wereappropriate in orderforthe

courts to wardoffanyattempts

to undermineourindependence

orthecredibilityofourinstitu-

tions.”

Veteran D.C. federal judge adds to support for Supreme Court ethics code

SOUTHWEST

Critical fire warnings

postedthroughregion

Warningsof criticalfire
conditionsblanketed muchof
theSouthwestonSaturdayas
crewsin northernNewMexico
worked to stopthegrowthof the
nation’s largestactivewildfire.
Theseven-weekfire,the
largestinNewMexicohistory,
hasburned 491 squaremilesof
forestinruggedterraineastof
SantaFe sincebeingstartedin
Aprilby twoplannedburns.
Crewswerepatrolling
partiallyburnedareasand
clearingandcutting
containmentlines,including
primaryonesnearthefire as
bulldozersscrapedbackuplines
fartheraway.
TheNationalWeatherService
issuedred-flagwarningsof
criticalfire conditionsforparts
of Arizona,Colorado,Kansas,
Nevada,NewMexico,Oklahoma,
Te xasandUtah.
Thoseconditionsarea
combinationof strongwind,low
relativehumidityanddry
vegetation.
Thereturnof drierand
warmerweatherwithstronger

windsposedathreatof

increasedfire activityoverthe

MemorialDayweekend,

promptingofficialsto urgethe

publicto securevehiclechains

andto be carefulwithpossible

fire sources.

“The lastthingweneed right

nowis anotherignition,”said

JaysonCoil,anoperations

sectionchief.

Forecasts calledforwindgusts

upto 50 mph,withcriticalfire

conditionscontinuinginto

Monday, followedby more

favorableweatherlaterin the

comingweek,saidBruno

Rodriguez,thefire management

team’s meteorologist.

Thestrongwindscouldfan

flamesandcausethefire to jump

containmentlinesandrace

forward,saidJohnChest, afire

operationsmanager.

—AssociatedPress

CALIFORNIA

Man pleadsguiltyin

plot againstDemocrats

Amanaccusedof plotting

withafriendtoblowupthe

Democratic headquarters

buildingin Sacramentobecause

he wasconvincedPresident

DonaldTrumpwonthe 2020

electionpleadedguiltytothe

crimeFridayinfederal courtin

SanFrancisco.

IanBenjaminRogers,47,of

Napa,pleadedguiltyto

conspiracytodestroyabuilding

by fire or explosives,possessing

anunregisteredexplosivedevice

andpossessionof amachinegun,

partofapleaagreementthat

couldnethimsevento nine

yearsin prison.

Rogers,appearingby video

fromtheSantaRitaJail in

Dublin,appearedsomewhat

hesitantwhenSeniorU.S.

DistrictJudgeCharlesBreyer

asked himif he wasconvinced

thegovernmentcouldproveits

caseagainsthimif thematter

wentto trial.

“It’spossible,”Rogersreplied,

adding,“Icouldseehowajury

wouldbelieve whatthe

governmentis saying.”

Rogerswasindictedin July of

plottingwithJarrodCopeland,a

Sacramentoman,to blowupthe

JohnL. BurtonDemocratic

headquartersbuildingat 183 0

NinthSt.followingJoeBiden’s

victoryoverTrump.

Thetwoallegedlybegan

plottingattacksonNov. 25,2020,

andsettledontheDemocratic

headquartersonNov. 29,court

paperssay.

“RogersandCopeland

believedthatthe attackswould

startwhattheycalleda

‘movement,’” courtpaperssay.

Copeland’s caseis pending.

—AssociatedPress

Fla.condocollapsesettlement

approvedby judge:AFlorida

judgeonSaturdaygaveinitial

approval to asettlementofmore

than$1 billionto familieswho

lostlovedonesin thecollapse

lastyearof aFloridabeachfront

condominiumbuildingin which

98 peopledied.Thequick

settlementof theunprecedented

collapseof the12-story

ChamplainTowersSouth

buildingin theearlymorning

hoursof June 24,2021,means

thatpotentiallyyearsof court

battleswillbe avoided.

Photojournalistgetspayout

after losingeye:The

MinneapolisCityCouncillast

weekapproveda$600,

payoutto afreelance journalist

wholosther eyetoapolice

projectilewhilecovering

protests in thewakeofGeorge

Floyd’s murderin spring2020.

PhotojournalistLinda Tirado

filedafederal lawsuitnearlytwo

yearsagoaccusingthecityand

policeofficialsof conspiringto

deprivejournalists of their

constitutionalrightsduringthe

unrest. Tirado’s caseis the

secondsuchsettlement

approvedby councilthismonth.

—From newsservices

DIGEST

Feb. 29,2020 Jan. 2021 May

Feb. 29,2020 Jan. 2021 May

Feb. 29,2020 Jan. 2021 May

0

200k

400k

600k

800k

1m

1.2m

7-dayavg.

0

2k

4k

7-dayavg.

0

1m

2m

3m

4m

5m

7-dayavg.

As of Friday

83,923, 727

110,

586,508, 124

1,003,

356

432,81 0

7-dayaverage

7-dayaverage

Total

DEATHS

Total

VACCINE DOSESADMINISTERED

Newcoronaviruscases,deaths and

vaccinedoses in the U.S., by day

Total

CASES

7-dayaverage

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