Scalia says he's proud he didn't recuse himself in Cheney case

http://www.wfsb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4761664

Scalia says he's proud he didn't recuse himself in Cheney case


HARTFORD, Conn. -- Conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Wednesday called his 2004 decision not to recuse himself from a case involving his friend Vice President Dick Cheney the "proudest thing" he's done on the court.

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The case in question involved Cheney's request to keep private the details of closed-door White House strategy sessions that produced the administration's energy policy. The administration fought a lawsuit brought by watchdog and environmental groups that contended that industry executives, including former Enron chairman Ken Lay, helped shape that policy. The Supreme Court upheld the administration position on a 7-2 vote.

Scalia refused to recuse himself from the case, rejecting arguments by critics who said his impartiality was brought into question because of a hunting vacation that he took with Cheney while the court was considering the vice president's appeal.

"For Pete's sake, if you can't trust your Supreme Court justice more than that, get a life," he said Wednesday.