Thursday, June 23, 2011

Court rules congress critters are people too.

And as such they are also liable to criminal investigation and prosecution.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has firmly rejected former Rep. Rick Renzi's (R-AZ) claim that Constitutional protections granted to members of Congress prevented him from having to defend himself from charges that he used his position to enrich himself in a land deal.

The court's decision on Thursday strikes a debilitating blow to federal lawmakers' broad claims of immunity from prosecution on anything dealing with legislative activity. If Renzi appeals, it also could set up a Supreme Court showdown over exactly what level of protection from investigation and prosecution the Constitution provides members of Congress.

In recent years, several members of Congress, with the support of House Democratic and Republican leadership and the House general counsel, have tried to wrap themselves in the Speech or Debate clause of the Constitution in order to bar the Justice Department from gaining access to evidence on their Congressional computers or in their offices.

The clause was written to protect the legislative branch from unwarranted intrusion by the executive, but watchdogs and some legal scholars have argued that it has become a way for lawmakers to try to protect themselves from being thoroughly investigated for charges of corruption and unethical behavior.
Today the politicians, tomorrow the corporate executives.

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