Posted by Orin Kerr:
The Strange Effort to Limit Judicial Education:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2007_12_16-2007_12_22.shtml#1198183359
[1]David B. blogs below about an amendment to limit judicial seminars;
I have posted the text of the amendment [2]here. As I read it, there
are two parts. The first part caps the value of reimbursement for a
judicial trip at $1,500 per trip, and $5,000 per year total unless it
is officially sponsored by one of the listed official allowed
sponsors. The second part bars all reimbursement for any trip if a
significant purpose is "judicial education" unless it is officially
sponsored by one of the listed official allowed sponsors.
I have to say, I find this pretty bizarre. The first part seems
designed to keep judges from being allowed to take trips far away for
more than a day or two (as at that point the value is likely to exceed
$1,500). The second part is even weirder, as it seems to want to make
sure that judges aren't educated unless it's a Congressionally-allowed
group doing the educating. I guess the last thing you want is judges
bein' too edumucated!
I find the "approved groups" in the amendment rather strange, too.
If a group of defense attorneys wants to put on a conference to teach
judges about the intricacies of criminal procedure law, the judges
have to pay their own way -- every penny. On the other hand, if the
Justice Department wants to put on the same conference for judges,
slanted in the government's direction, it can be 5-star hotels and
golf all around. The only way the defense attorneys can get around the
bar is by forming (or taking over) a "subject matter bar association,"
which then restores their ability to offer reimbursement.
What a strange amendment. I certainly hope it ends up going nowhere.
References
1. http://volokh.com/posts/1198150138.shtml
2. http://volokh.com/files/Judgebill.pdf
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