A Hearing For YOU? Well . . . Not Really!

For a long time the nation's oldest chartered bar association, the Philadelphia Bar Association, has been pretty much solidly liberal, as in all liberal, all the way, on all issues, all the time with no disagreement sought, invited or encouraged.

As awful as this may sound for an organization of lawyers (people who are charged with hearing at least two sides to every story, if not 200) we're here to tell you this is not really that unusual. Save for pockets of resistance in some parts of the midwest, south and west, America's organized bar has been largely radicalized and is in the control of lefties. In fact, the American Bar Association (ABA) itself is one of the most left-leaning organizations in the country. And, lawyers themselves (led largely by trial lawyers) have consistently been among the largest contributors to the Democrat Party and its candidates.
This didn't happen overnight.
It started gradually in the 1970s and 1980s as boomers began to come of age. And, as these same boomers succeeded in the legal profession and gathered more money and influence, this trend advanced rapidly into the 21st century. At the national, state and even local levels, bar associations were pushed further and further to the left.We know because we were there to witness it. We watched it. We saw it happen, closeup and personal.
It wasn't (and isn't) a pretty sight because it brought with it the same condescension, the same self-appointed elitism and the same intolerance for diverse views that define modern day liberalism.

And nowhere was this more prevalent than at the historic Philadelphia Bar Association whose founders included some of the very people who signed the sacred documents which created our democracy and supposedly guaranteed free speech and the full airing of all points of view, no matter how contrary or controversial.
And, sadly this intransigence remains the case today as that same association is firmly entrenched in the liberal camp.
But, why take our word for it? Listen to what Philadelphia Daily News columnist Christine Flowers has to say about it:

I’ve never been a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association, even though I was once on the editorial board of its professional journal, the Philadelphia Lawyer Magazine. But I never chose to pay dues and officially align myself with the association because, when I started practicing law in the early 1990s, it was clear there was no place for me at the table, let alone the “bar.”

As a conservative woman who believed abortion was both immoral and legally indefensible, it was impossible to feel welcomed or respected in an organization that had become increasingly left-leaning. This did not surprise me. Even my Catholic alma mater, the one with the crucifixes in the classrooms, wasn’t outspoken in its advocacy for the unborn. I recall a constitutional law class in which the teacher sped through the landmark Roe v. Wade decision as if he were embarrassed to focus on the ethics of killing what many of us considered babies. 

I haven’t given thought to the bar association these past few years. They do their thing, I do mine. For example, at 11 a.m. Tuesday, I’ll be speaking at a rally in the state Capitol rotunda in Harrisburg in support of pro-life legislation, such as Senate Bill 3, which would ban abortions after 20 weeks (they currently are permitted until 24 weeks) and criminalize dismemberment abortions. The rally also will support the defunding of Planned Parenthood, which is the nation’s single most prolific provider of abortions.

That’s my thing, which I doubt will interest many of the people who paid $65 a head to attend a reception at the Bellevue on Friday honoring Carol Tracy, executive director of the Women’s Law Project. Tracy is this year’s recipient of the Sandra Day O’Connor award, which the bar association presents to a female attorney “who has demonstrated superior legal talent, achieved significant legal accomplishments, and has furthered the advancement of women in both the profession and the community.” 

In an email news release, the association said Tracy was chosen for the award because she has led “major legal victories on the national scale in women’s reproductive rights, violence against women, and other areas of women’s rights, including serving as co-counsel in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood v. Casey.”

Click here to read the rest of Christine Flowers' superb column.

Yes, She HAS Harmed Herself And The Institution

From a New York Times editorial entitled Donald Trump Is Right About Justice Ruth Bader Ginsbrug: "Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg needs to drop the political punditry and the name-calling."

The Code of Conduct for United States Judges includes the ethical canons that apply to federal judges and provides guidance on their performance of official duties and engagement in a variety of outside activities.

This Code's Cannon Five clearly states that a judge should not "publicly endorse or oppose a candidate for public office." 

In her comments about Donald Trump (in three different public statements) Justice Ginsburg has clearly violated the Code. It really doesn't matter whether or not Supreme Court justices must technically abide by the Code. They should follow its provisions nonetheless. After all, they are the highest jurists in the land. They actually sit in judgement of other judges. So, we must hold them to the very highest standards.

At the very least, Justice Ginsburg should be admonished.

Again, from the New York Times editorial:

“In this election cycle in particular, the potential of a new president to affect the balance of the court has taken on great importance, with the vacancy left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. As Justice Ginsburg pointed out, other justices are nearing an age when retirement would not be surprising. That makes it vital that the court remain outside the presidential process. And just imagine if this were 2000 and the resolution of the election depended on a Supreme Court decision. Could anyone now argue with a straight face that Justice Ginsburg’s only guide would be the law?”

And The Washington Post has also spoken out, declaring:

“However valid her comments may have been, though, and however in keeping with her known political bent, they were still much, much better left unsaid by a member of the Supreme Court.”

And the Wall Street Journal goes even further:

"Each of these verbal eruptions is a major breach of judicial decorum but taken together they raise larger issues. Under Section 28 US Code 455, “[a]ny justice, judge, or magistrate judge of the United States shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned.” A judge is also expected to disqualify himself “[w]here he has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party.”
"Justice Ginsburg talks as if the Court is a purely political body and seems oblivious to the damage she is doing. All of this raises questions about her judgment, her temperament, and her continuing capacity to serve as a judge. She should resign from the Court before she does the reputation of the judiciary more harm."

Arthur D. Hellman, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law said, of Justice Gisnburg's comments: "This is nothing casual. The aim, I suppose, is to influence the election. ... If a lower-court judge had said those things, they would be subject to disciplinary proceeding."

Any sensible person -- anyone who cares one whit about fairness, justice and simple propriety -- has got to be deeply concerned about Justice Ginsburg's comments.

And yet, we've heard nothing about this up to this point from the American Bar Association or the myriad of other state, national and local bar association, the majority of which follow the liberal line.

Maybe they will speak up at some point. We hope so, but we're not holding our breath.

Still, what if Justice Alito of Justice Thomas had called a presidential candidate a "faker" and said he would certainly have to resign from the Court and probably have to "move to New Zealand" if that person was elected? And those are some of the milder things Ginsburg said in her troika of interviews. She went much further than that.

What would have happened to Thomas or Alito? Well, we think you know the answer to that question.

Enroll Now For 5/17 Run/Walk In Philly!

Registration is open for the Philadelphia Bar Association's 36th Annual 5K Run/Walk on Sunday, May 17. The event benefits the Support Center for Child Advocates.

More than 1,000 runners and walkers are expected at Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park (4231 Avenue of the Republic). A new event, a one-mile dash, has been added to this year's event. The one-mile dash begins at 8 a.m. and the 5K Run/Walk starts at 8:30 a.m. The one-mile dash is limited to 250 runners and no race-day situation is available. Registration is $35 to participate in either the one-mile dash or the 5K Run/Walk. To participate in both the one-mile dash and the 5K Run/Walk, registration is $45.

Law firms and companies may enter 5K Run teams. A legal team comprises a minimum of three members and maximum of five members. The team may consist of male, female or both male and female runners, of any age group, all of whom must be full-time or part-time employees of your firm. An individual registration form must be completed and signed for each team member and returned along with a completed team application and a contribution check of $400 for each team entered. For an application contact Michael Berkowitz at mjberkowitz@crbcp.com or 215-567-2010 (ext 132). The deadline for team registration is May 8.

The morning features face painting and other treats for kids. Children ages 5-10 can enter the free Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Kids' Dash, a 200-yard non-competitive dash. Registration is required for each child. A parent or guardian must be present.

At least 100 volunteers to help with various tasks on race day. Children age 6 and older, who can follow instructions, are welcome. All volunteers will receive a T-shirt.

For more information, to register, or to volunteer, visit phillybarcharityrun.com.

Inspiring Kickoff!

Last night we attended a swell kickoff party for the Wally Zimolong campaign at Urban Saloon in Philly's Art Museum neighborhood. Wally (shown with Kelley Bromley) is a Philadelphia lawyer who is seeking election to Pennsylvania's House of Representatives in the 182nd legislative district covering much of center city Philadelphia and parts of Bella Vista, Fairmount, Gray's Ferry and South Philadelphia.

Wally graduated Bishop Eustace, Villanova University, and Villanova Law School. Wally is the first member of his family to graduate from law school and he is admitted to practice in all courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
As an attorney, Wally practices construction litigation and construction law. His clients include general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers, who have helped build many of the City’s landmarks.

Wally believes in community. He sits on the Executive Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association Real Property Section and is also on the Board of Directors of the Blue White Scholarship Foundation, a non-profit organization providing scholarships to Villanova University students. Wally is also a member of the Union League of Philadelphia.
Wally resides in South Philadelphia just off 9th Street in the heart of the Italian Market area with Bubba, his black Labrador retriever.

It's great to see young people like Wally becoming involved in politics. Last night's event was a fun affair with plenty of young professionals on hand to lend their support to Wally and his campaign. We'll keep you posted on the Zimolong campaign as it moves forward.

Mark's Moment

One of our town's top public relations pros was welcomed onto the wall of notables at the city's premier watering hole last night when Mark Tarasiewicz witnessed the unveiling of his likeness at The Palm.

Mark who is the Director of Communications for the Philadelphia Bar Association is also chairman and past president of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association. A Philly native, he's a graduate of Temple University. Mark is a nationally-recognized PR practitioner who shares his expertise with students as an adjunct professor at Temple's School of Communications.

But here's the important part: Mark is one of the nicest people we know. He's caring, helpful, friendly, funny, thorough, bright, incredibly hard-working and admirably meticulous.

Once in a great while nice things really do happen to nice people.

This is one of those moments. This is one of those people.

Congratulations, Mark. And thanks to our favorite restaurant, The Palm, for making it happen!