Deadlock

Good evening. The impeachment of a Supreme Court justice, the chief justice in fact, is a distinct possibility tonight. Professor Graebner, I’ll start with you. What do you make of it?

GRAEBNER: Well, Larry, the Constitution gives the people of the United States, through its representative bodies, the power to impeach federal judges. Since the federal judiciary enjoys lifetime tenure, this is the only procedure for removal at our disposal.

KING: For high crimes and misdemeanors.

GRAEBNER: No, no. That is the standard for the impeachment of civil officers. The president, vice president, and so on. The standard for judges is found in Article III, Section I, and states that judges, both of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts, shall hold their seats during good behavior.

KING: So what’s good behavior?

GRAEBNER: The real question is what is bad behavior.

KING: Okay. What’s bad behavior then?

GRAEBNER: Well, as Gerald Ford said when he was in Congress, and proposed impeaching Justice William O. Douglas, an impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history.

MARGULLIS: And that’s right now, Larry.

KING: We’ll get to you in a moment, Rebecca. I wanted to ask Justice Bonassi what he thinks of that. Justice Bonassi, it’s an honor to have you on the program.

MARGULLIS: Can I just ask a question?

KING: Rebecca, we’ll get to you. Go ahead, Justice Bonassi.

BONASSI: Thank you, Larry. With all due respect to Professor Graebner, the House is undertaking what can only be described as a witch hunt. A person’s personal religious beliefs are being questioned, as if they were some sort of crime.

MARGULLIS: When it comes to a woman’s right to choose, there is -

KING: Rebecca, just a moment, please.

BONASSI: What? What did she say?

KING: You go ahead, Justice Bonassi.

BONASSI: I was saying that this is not a proper standard for impeachment. The framers never meant this power to be abused in this way. They did not want inquisitions for personal views.

GRAEBNER: If I may, an inquiry into personal views is what the confirmation process is supposed to be. But when a judicial candidate lies to the committee, that is surely grounds for later removal.

KING: Rebecca Margullis, you -

BONASSI: Wait, wait a second, Larry. We’ve just heard a scurrilous charge from the professor. You can’t seriously be suggesting that the chief justice was intentionally lying to the Judiciary Committee. We need proof, Professor Graebner, as you no doubt tell your first-year students.

GRAEBNER: There’s plenty of proof. We have her testimony. And as the House investigation proceeds, I am sure more will be coming out.

BONASSI: That is an absolutely outrageous statement -

MARGULLIS: Larry -

BONASSI: – an affront not only to our system, but to the reputation of a fine justice who has served this country with absolute integrity and dignity.

MARGULLIS: Larry -

KING: Rebecca Margullis in Los Angeles, what’s your take on all this?

MARGULLIS: Millicent Ma

THE NATIONAL EXPOSURE

Pics Show Justice in Arms of Minister!

Is She Seeking Help with an Alcohol Problem?

BY DAN RICKS

There is a “smoking gun” in the House investigation into Chief Justice Millicent Ma

Smoking gun? Maybe a whole arsenal of hot weapons!

A source close to the investigation says this is “the most incriminating stuff since Monica’s dress.”

Included in this pile of inculpatory items are several photographs taken in California during Hollander’s supposed convalescence. Instead of healing her head, she was apparently head over heels… with a fundamentalist Christian minister!

The question they’re asking on the Hill is this: Do we want the chief justice of our Supreme Court, the one who will be instrumental in decisions regarding abortion, church and state, privacy, and so on, in lip lock with a minister? Especially a minister who is rabidly anti-abortion?

That’s right. The Reverend Jack Holden once did time in the clink – after trying to shut down a family pla

But that’s not the worst of the trouble for the chief justice.

According to a reliable source, the accident then Associate Justice Hollander was involved in a few months ago was the result of alcohol abuse! The story is that Hollander was out on the town with a well-known politico, had a bit too much to drink, and ran off from the limo they were sharing – right into oncoming traffic! Apparently no one at the hospital thought to test a Supreme Court justice for blood alcohol content.

The story is confirmed by the driver of this politico’s limousine, by the way.

“The House won’t stand for this,” the source told the Exposure. “Nor will the American people. Millicent Ma

2

Detective Don Markey took a sip of battery-acid coffee and reached for the small Bible he kept in his metal government-issue desk. Markey tried to read at least a little bit from the Word every day. His colleagues knew his practice, and had stopped razzing him about it. His nickname, “Preacher,” had been dropped in favor of the whispered sobriquet, “Goose.” As in Wild Goose Chase.

Markey knew he took more chances than others on the force, looked under more rocks, around more corners. He even went through more dumpsters. He was relentless when he got a hunch, and for the most part his superiors let him go.

Markey took another sip of bad coffee from a Styrofoam cup and opened his Bible. He had been reading through Proverbs, seeking wisdom. Crying out for it. The whole Levering situation was bothering him to no end.

Elijah’s disappearance smelled. The odds that he had left town on his own were small. Homeless people found places to call home and tended to stick to them unless they had a very good reason to leave.

The timing was suspicious, too. No sooner had he put a little heat on the senator’s chief aide than Elijah was gone.

He only had a hunch, no hard evidence, so what could he do but ask for wisdom?

He had been quietly reading for five minutes when the phone rang.

“Markey,” he said.

“Hey,” said Phil Crane. Phil was another D.C. detective. “You need to get down here. I’m out at Key Bridge.”

“What’s up?”

“Just come down here. We have a body. Dragged out of the river.”

“Why do you need me?”

“You’ll see.”

It took just under twenty minutes for Markey to get there. The scene was taped off and a lone medical examiner waddled around a couple of uniforms, examining a body.

Phil was standing by the body’s feet. They were bare, puffy, white. A blue-black ring encircled each ankle. Markey did not see the face as the ME poked at it with something that looked like a knitting needle.

“Know who it is?” Markey said.

“Nope.”

“Why’d you want me down here?”

“Because he looks like a homeless guy, no ID, ratty clothes.”

Markey stiffened. He bolted toward the ME and put his hand on his shoulder.

“Hey!” the ME said.

“Sorry,” Markey said, looking down. There could be no doubt. The bloated face belonged to Elijah.