Scandal Watch: Senator Hatch Influencing Judge’s Decisions
Posted By Eric Ethington (Author) on September 20, 2011
Utah – Senior (and I do mean ‘senior’) Senator from Utah, Orrin Hatch, was outed last week by local Attorney and former BLM-director Pat Shea as having called a Federal Judge to recommend sentencing against activist Tim DeChristopher. Now what is Hatch claiming?
Sen. Orrin Hatch caught in judge-influencing scandal
In the article last week, Shea claims that after Tim DeChristopher, the environmental activist who protested against big oil with false oil and gas lease bids, was convicted – but prior to sentencing – Senator Orrin Hatch called Judge Dee Benson and pushed him to give DeChristopher the heavier sentence of 4-6 years. According to the article, Benson is a long-time supporter and friend of Hatch.
This morning, Senator Hatch fired back in the SL Tribune through one of his spokespeople, saying that “Pat Shea is making false allegations.”
So it seems that right now we have two figures, one claiming the scandalous sentence-influencing happened and the other saying it didn’t. I don’t think the stink of the scandal is going to wash off Senator Orrin Hatch until we hear from Judge Dee Benson himself.
"Eric, trying to have this (civil rights) conversation with you is ultimately like trying to teach a pig to dance, it just annoys the pig. So Eric, sorry to annoy you."
-Paul Mero, The Sutherland Institute.
Yeah but come on, if Benson did listen to Hatch and give a harsher sentence, do you think that its going to be admitted? Probably not unfortunately… I’ve never really cared for Orrin Hatch myself.
From the comments of the Tribune by a guy named Mikeguru:
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If you think Hatch does NOT call Judges, THINK again.
He does, even Judge Benson shared that information at a Sun Valley Conference of Trial Lawyers July 2010.
The outing of Sen. Hatch? • At the recent Utah State Bar convention in Sun Valley, Idaho, federal District c Judge Dee Benson, a former staffer of Sen. Orrin Hatch, remarked during a panel discussion on America’s judicial system that Hatch spoke to him while he was hearing a case in 2004 that challenged the constitutional validity of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and told the judge he knew that he would “do the right thing.”
That raised a few eyebrows among the attorneys present, since it sounded like a little gentle pressure being applied to a judge whose appointment to the bench was largely due to Hatch’s support.
Hatch, in response to my question about it, said: “I don’t believe I have ever had a conversation with Judge Benson, or any other sitting judge, about how any pending case should be decided. Those who know me well, including Judge Benson, are aware of the importance I attach to an impartial judiciary no matter how politically unpopular a decision might be.”
But Benson told his audience at the convention that he tells that anecdote to show the independence of the judiciary in the United States because he eventually ruled in favor of the monument’s legal existence and he clearly was under the impression the senator opposed it.
http://www.sltrib.com/csp/cms/…
Hatch meddles with the Judges he gets appointed. At the last town meeting I attended, Hatch bragged that he was instrumental in the appointment of 8 out of the 9 Supreme Court Justices. Wonder why the 5 Supreme Court Justices gave Corporations Citizenship? The right to give UNLIMITED amounts of money to defeat a Non-Corporate friendly candidate. How about “Corporate friendly Supreme Court Judges” Orrin was instrumental in getting appointed.
If a Corporation donates $Millions to an IT School that graduates $40,000 a year students every two years and the Corporation agrees to hire them, Hatch has no problem calling a Federal Judge to make sure the judge “decides the right thing” in favor of the Corporation who made the donation to the local IT school.
You bet he calls Judges and makes sure the Judge has enough information to “make the right decision” as requested by a Corporation.
Hatch’s occupation before he became Utah’s US Senator 34 years ago was a Corporate Lawyer. NOT a Trial Lawyer who fight Corporations for the 99% of us. His loyalty is to Corporations and not the Middle class or the poor.
A miserable History of voting against the Middle Class and for Corporations.
http://themiddleclass.org/legi…
Here are few of Hatch’s Corporate Buddies, take a look at the long list
http://www.opensecrets.org/pol…
Orrin has been in Washington too long, his “Ethics Compass” is out of wack. Utah and our country can be served better by somebody else.
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The outing of Sen. Hatch?
http://www.sltrib.com/csp/cms/sites/sltrib/pages/printerfriendly.csp?id=49982853
At the recent Utah State Bar convention in Sun Valley, Idaho, federal District c Judge Dee Benson, a former staffer of Sen. Orrin Hatch, remarked during a panel discussion on America’s judicial system that Hatch spoke to him while he was hearing a case in 2004 that challenged the constitutional validity of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and told the judge he knew that he would “do the right thing.”
That raised a few eyebrows among the attorneys present, since it sounded like a little gentle pressure being applied to a judge whose appointment to the bench was largely due to Hatch’s support.
Hatch, in response to my question about it, said: “I don’t believe I have ever had a conversation with Judge Benson, or any other sitting judge, about how any pending case should be decided. Those who know me well, including Judge Benson, are aware of the importance I attach to an impartial judiciary no matter how politically unpopular a decision might be.”
But Benson told his audience at the convention that he tells that anecdote to show the independence of the judiciary in the United States because he eventually ruled in favor of the monument’s legal existence and he clearly was under the impression the senator opposed it.
Sorry about the broken links. Hastily copied and pasted:
http://themiddleclass.org/legislator/orrin-hatch-450
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00009869&cycle=Career
As if either self-righteous, bigoted, Mormon power broker is going to admit their “Secret Combinations” anywhere, or to anyone.