Gingrich taped call case to be reheard

WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court has agreed to hear new arguments in a case involving an illegally taped telephone call leaked to reporters by Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash.

In an announcement late Monday, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said all nine judges will hear McDermott's appeal of the taped call case, which dates back nearly a decade. Arguments will be heard in September, the court said.

A three-judge panel of the appeals court ruled in March that McDermott violated federal law by turning over the tape recording of a 1996 call involving then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.
...
In granting McDermott's request for a new hearing, the appeals court vacated the earlier judgment.

In a statement Monday, McDermott said he was elated at the latest twist in the long-running case.

"We look forward to presenting a vigorous defense of the First Amendment issues at stake in this case, and we believe there is precedent all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to support our position," McDermott said.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13571694/

This is great news. Jim's aready drowning in legal fees for helping to take down some very corrupt repubs, and there was no assurance that the Court would take the case back up.

...that was a long time ago when it first came out. At that time listening in on public "airwaves" was a dubious thing because cell phones were not that prevalent and laws were not in place for listening (at that time the signal was on lower channels as well, if I remember right). The call itself is damning of Gin-Grinch. They do *not* want to talk about what the tape actually said. They would rather as is the tired old Repig tactic, to be outraged that it was even eavesdropped... It will be fun to re-hear it all because it WILL make the Grinch look like the ass he is.

Hmmm I wonder if the new wiretapping "laws" would help my hero Mr. McDermott in some way...now THAT is an irony beyond words! LOL

My 2 cents...

Cat In Seattle

Moving beyond what the government is already doing by listening to everyones personal phone calls (which most people here seem to be against), lets now set a precedent that you can make public the contents of those phone calls. I'm sure it will be worth giving up privacy rights just to see an out of office repuke look bad for a few days until it blows over :sarcasm:

Most cell phone signals are unscrambled common frequencies. No cell phone user should expect privacy unless using a digital phone. Off course the FBI listens to those.

Good for him. This is how Democrats should be playing hardball this year.

No it doesn't matter that he is not currently in office.

He's a party "elder" and should be held up as an example as all GOP crooks should.

Newt is the architect of the current Congress.

Delay was the muscle.

Both left in disgrace.

Repukes thought that wiretapping was illegal . . . well before they embraced it, as they do now . . .

:kick:

snip>
The 2-1 opinion upheld a lower court ruling that McDermott violated the rights of Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, who was heard on the 1996 call. Boehner was then a Gingrich lieutenant and is now House majority leader.

:kick:

phone conversation? Once again, hypocrites.