Californians
Against Corruption �
Defense Fund
http://www.CACDefenseFund.org
[email protected]
PRESS
RELEASE
Thursday, 11-2-2000; For
Immediate Release
Contact: Russ Howard,
805-896-1122
Blind
Justice, or the Fox Guarding the Hen House?
The
California Supreme Court
has appointed a special judge to consider conflict of interest allegations
against Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lloyd Connelly in his handling of
the case, FPPC v. CAC, Russ Howard, and Steve Cicero
(96AS00039). The case involves an $808,000 fine issued in 1995 by
California's Fair Political Practices Commission, as a penalty for
safeguarding the identities of campaign donors during CAC's 1994 recall
of former Senate President David Roberti.
Ironically,
Judge Connelly himself is accused of failing to disclose conflicts of interest.
Until 1992, then-Assemblyman Connelly was an ally of Roberti and
then-Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Mike Roos, both of whom left office in the
wake of exposure by CAC. The 3 Democrats coauthored bills and donated to each
other; Roberti hired Connelly's law firm; and Connelly was on CAC's
"Corrupt Politician List."
"Judges
should be free of political influence and conflict of interest, not foxes
guarding the hen house," said Russ Howard, who volunteered to direct the
recall. Judge Connelly's conduct is an embarrassment to the Judiciary." On
discovering the conflicts, CAC gave Judge Connelly an opportunity to vacate his
orders so an unbiased judge could rehear the case. He refused.
When
the FPPC sued to collect the fine, CAC objected on grounds of constitutional
rights violations and lack of jurisdiction. "The FPPC failed to show up for
hearings, then took no action for 3 years, leading us to believe they didn't
want to pursue it." When the FPPC reactivated the case this year, both
parties moved to dismiss each other's complaints for lack of prosecution.
"Connelly granted their motion and denied ours. Then by luck our attorney
learned he'd been an Assemblyman. We thought it was behind us, but it's back.
And now we have to fight another battle to get Judge Connelly to
retroactively step aside."
Connelly now admits Roos donated $5,000 to one of his campaigns and Roberti paid
$12,000 to his law firm, yet still denies any conflict. He got the case in 1997,
but says he did not review it until 2000, when he first became aware of the fine
and CAC.
CAC's
stated mission is to remove corrupt politicians who dishonor their oath to
defend the Constitution. From 1992-94, CAC ran 3 campaigns against Roberti,
prompting the powerful Senate President to empty his war chest of over $3.3
million to stay in office. In 1994, CAC organized an alliance of victims'
rights, tax-limitation, law enforcement, and 2nd Amendment groups to mount the
state's first legislative recall since 1914. Roberti beat it at the cost of
resigning his Senate Presidency and losing the State Treasury race, which was
just 6 weeks after the recall. He then announced his retirement, blaming the
recall.
-End-
