Jump to full article: OfficialWire, 2010-03-07
Author: EU News Network
Intro: The Obama administration wants the U.S. Supreme Court to help it recover $280 billion from the major tobacco companies, money described as "ill-gotten gains" from past racketeering violations.
. . .
U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler didn't mince words in her ruling: "(T)he evidentiary picture must be viewed in its totality ... to fully appreciate how massive the case is against (the companies), how irresponsible their actions have been and how heedless they have been of the public welfare and the suffering caused by the cigarettes they sell." . . .
Curiously, Estrada easily could have been sitting on the Supreme Court instead of arguing before it.
President George W. Bush named him to the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2001. The court, often called the second most important in the country, is prime hunting territory when presidents go looking for Supreme Court nominees.
Even though Republicans took over the U.S. Senate in 2003 -- Estrada's nomination was held up -- minority Democrats were able to filibuster to keep his nomination from a vote on the Senate floor, so Estrada remained in private practice.
Meanwhile, the justices should decide whether to accept the administration and tobacco companies petitions, or just one of the petitions, or simply just deny review to the whole shebang sometime over the next several months.
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