Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia destroys reporters tapes

[rustoffa]

This motherfucker needs to be removed.

from tvbarn.com:
http://www.tvbarn.com/ticker/archives/020199.html

RTNDA deplores Scalia tape destruction

posted by tvbarn on April 9, 2004 02:41 PM

RTNDA Deplores Destruction of Journalists’ Tapes at Speech by Justice Scalia

WASHINGTON¾The Radio-Television News Directors Association today expressed outrage at an incident in Hattiesburg, MS, in which a federal marshal guarding Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia ordered two reporters to erase tape recordings they were making of his speech.

Justice Scalia routinely bans recording devices—including television cameras and radio microphones—from his public appearances.

“This high-handed seizure of a journalist’s work product without any regard whatsoever for the rights and responsibilities of the news media is totally unacceptable,” said Barbara Cochran, RTNDA president. “Unfortunately, Justice Scalia’s unreasonable and discriminatory treatment of electronic newsgathering was bound to lead to this kind of inappropriate action.

“It is ironic that this desecration of the First Amendment took place during a speech on the reverence owed the Constitution made to impressionable high school students. What kind of lesson about the Constitution did they learn?”

RTNDA is writing to the director of the U.S. Marshal Service to urge him to instruct all federal marshals that they are not permitted to confiscate or erase journalists’ material.

Last year, RTNDA sent a letter of protest to the Cleveland City Club when it banned its usual television and radio coverage of a luncheon at which Scalia was to receive the Citadel of Free Speech Award. The City Club luncheons are normally televised locally, but the club banned cameras and microphones at Scalia’s insistence.

The U.S. Supreme Court, like all federal courts, does not permit television and radio coverage of its public proceedings. This week, however, the Supreme Court announced that for the third time in history it would release audiotapes immediately after arguments later this month on cases involving the secrecy of vice president Cheney’s energy policy task force and the government’s actions in several terrorism cases.

RTNDA is the world’s largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. RTNDA represents local and network news executives in broadcasting, cable and other electronic media in more than 30 countries.

[FORD]

Scalia thinks he's above the law. Weren't his part in the Florida Coup and his duck hunting trips with Uncle Dick (while Cheney's case was pending in the SCOTUS) proof enough of that?