Bush Appointed Federal Judge Files Complaint Over His Own Racist Anti-Obama Email Message

[powergirl]

His Honor looks a lot like Prospector Pete from Toy Story 2



Federal Judge Files Complaint Over His Own Email Message
Amanda BronstadContactAll Articles

The National Law Journal
March 2, 2012


"Richard Cebull, chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Montana, has initiated a disciplinary investigation into his own behavior after acknowledging he sent a racist e-mail to friends and family about President Obama.

"Chief District Judge Cebull has publicly acknowledged that he has acted inappropriately," said Cathy Catterson, circuit executive for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, in a prepared statement.

"By letter to Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit, Judge Cebull has initiated the process by which a complaint of judicial misconduct will be brought against him," she wrote. "Chief Judge Kozinski has informed the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit of the complaint. The Judicial Council is expected to act expeditiously in investigating and resolving this matter."

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"In filing a complaint himself on March 1, Cebull beat at least one organization to the punch. Earlier in the day, Common Cause spokeswoman Mary Boyle said that her organization planned to file a complaint with the 9th Circuit.

"We're calling on him to resign," she said, adding that Common Cause sent copies of its statement to every member of Congress. "We think that Congress has a role here to say something, and if Congress is silent on this, they send a message that this kind of language or behavior will be tolerated by the federal judiciary."

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"Cebull sent the e-mail from his courthouse address on Feb. 20 to family members and friends. The subject line was: "A Mom's Memory." The text said:

"A little boy said to his mother, ‘Mommy, how come I'm black and you're white?' His mother replied, ‘Don't even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you're lucky you don't bark!"

The e-mail was first reported on Feb. 29 by the Great Falls Tribune. Cebull apologized via the Tribune and The Billings Gazette, acknowledging that the e-mail was racist but insisting that he personally he is not. He said he passed along the joke because it was "anti-Obama."

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"Cebull faces potential disciplinary action ranging from a public reprimand to impeachment."

http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?hubtype=TxCaseAlert&id=1202544238726&et=editorial&bu=Texas%20Lawyer&cn=Daily%20News%20and%20Case%20Alert%2C%20March%205%2C%202012&src=EMC-Email&pt=Texas%20Daily%20Case%20Alert&kw=Federal%20Judge%20Files%20Complaint%20Over%20His%20Own%20Email%20Message

[Gabi Hayes]

1. that joke is pretty.....rrrrufff!

[malthaussen]

2. I wonder what he's trying to accomplish

I suppose he could be making an honest attempt at restitution, but the timing elevates my eyebrows.

-- Mal