Case: 09-56073 11/20/2009 Page: 1 of 7 DktEntry: 7138890

RICHARD 1.FINE
ID#182:387c/oMen'sCentralJail
441BauchetStreet,LosAngel es,CA 90012
RichardlFine@gmail.com
xmœ
K W .*
RMoEl-t-ycc.DEWYiEBV,CLEERKD
November18,2009 O.s.COURTOFA/PEALS
Nt
-
lk2t)2229
A?N:PcnelJudlcesAssignedioCase#09-54073 FI
LED -
DOCKETED DATE I
NI
TIAL
U.S.CourtofAppealsfortheNinthCircuit
95SeventhStreet
SanFrancisco,CA94103
RE: Pre-Decisiononthel
ssueof'
lWhethertheTrialJudge(JudgeYaffe)Shoul
d
HaveRecused Himself''AgainstAppellantFine bythe NinthCircuitinthe
Pending WritofHabeasCorpusAppealin Fine v.SheriffofLosAngeles
County;
Ninth CircuitCase No.09-58073,DistrictCourtCase No.CV-O9-1914JFW
(CW)
DearPanel:
Attached heretoisa copyofa November2,2009articlefrom Law.com which
referstoahearingbytheHouseJudi
ci
aryCommitteeonthesubjectofl
'Federal
recusalguidelinesamid controversiesthathave Sweptthrough State Court
systemsin recentyears,culminating in a U.S.Supreme Courtdecision five
monthsagothatti
ghtenedtherecusalrequi
rementsforel
ectedstatejudges''.
The relevance ofthisarticle to theinstantcase isthatthearticlerefersto the
scheduled testimony of Ninth Circuit Justice M.Margaret McKeown,the
Chairwoman ofthe JudicialConference'sCommittee on CodesofConduct.
Althoughshedeclinedtobeinterviewedforthearticle,thearticlestated:''Ina
statement,she noted thatthe Committee on CodesofConductlprovides
ethicsadvice and training thatincludesissuance ofmore than 1OO advisory
opinionsannually and response to nearly 1,000 informalrequestsforethics
QdViCe.'''
Inthi
scase,LASuperiorCour
'
tJudgeDavi
dP.Yafferecei ved$48,348.00peryear
from LA County. Judge Yaffe isan elected state judge,nota County
employee.LACounty'spaymentsamountto27% ofhisStatesalary.Hedidnot
disclosethe paymentsonhisform 70OStatementofEconomic lnterests.Hedid
nothaveanycontactoragreementorarrangementtoperform servicesforLA
County.LACountywaSapartybeforehim intheUnderlyingcaseandhemade
anorderinitsfavor,orderingFinetopayLACountyand itsco-applicantforan
EnvironmentalImpactReportattorneys'feesand costs. He thenheld Fine in
 Case: 09-56073 11/20/2009 Page: 2 of 7 DktEntry: 7138890
contemptand ordered Fine into ''coercive incarceration''without Iimit
enforcetheorderanditSprogeny.

NinthCircuitPanel
November18,2009
Page2

Finehasbeenin''coerciveincarceration''forapproximatel
yninemonths,since
March4,2009,intheLACountyJail.
LACounty'spaymentstoLASuperi orCourtjudgeshavebeenhel dtovi olate
ArticleVI,Section19,oftheCaliforniaConstitutioninthecaseofSturçeonv.
CovntvofLosAnge/es,187Cal.App.4th830(2008)rev.deni ed12/23/08.The
paymentswerealsoacknowledgedtobecriminalbySenateBillSBX2-11,
enactedFebruary2O,2009,effectiveMay21,2009.SuchBillgaveretroactive
immunityfrom itseffectivedatefrom criminalprosecution,civilIiabilityand
di
scipl
inaryacti
ontothejudgesandothergovernmentoffi
ci
al
srel
atedto
countypaymentstojudges.
Thespectreofpre-decisionbytheNinthCircuitagainstFineinthiscasearises
from JusticeMcKeown's''statement''thatthepanelofwhichsheisChairwoman
issues'
lmorethan1O0advisoryopinionsannualyandresjondstonearly1,000
informalrequestsforethicsadvice'',whichShowsapre-dlspositionontheissue
onappealof''whetherthetrialjudgeshoul
dhaverecusedhi
msel
f''andher
scheduledappearancebeforetheHouseJudiciaryCommitteetodefendthe
acti
onsofthejudgesofself-recusal.
Inparticular,abiasagainstrecusalisindicatedtoexistinthiscaseforthe
followingreasons:
1)TheNinthCircui
thasdeni
edFine'sunopposedmoti
ontograntthewrit
basedUponFine'sOpeningBrief;
2)TheNinthCircui
thasdeni
edFine'sUnopposedmoti
onstostrikeAppel
l
ees'
AnsweringBriefs;
3)TheNinthCi rcuithasdeni
edFine'stwoUnopjosedmotionstoberel eased
from incarcerationandoneUnopposedmotlonforreconsiderationof
motiontobereleasedfrom incarceration;and
4)TheNi
nthCi
rcui
thasorderedthatnofurthermoti
onstoberel
easedfrom
incarcerationbefiled.
lnsummary,theNinthCircuithasdeniedfiveUnopposedmotions.Thisconduct
ishighlyirregularforacourt,padicularlywhenoneoftheUnopposedmotions
wouldhavedisposedoftheappealbygrantingthewrit.
 Case: 09-56073 11/20/2009 Page: 3 of 7 DktEntry: 7138890

Thisconduct,combinedwiththestatementofJusticeMcKeowntoLaw.com
andherscheduledappearancebeforetheHouseJudiciaryCommitteeto
defendjudgesholdi
ngthepowertorecusethemsel
vesasdi
stingui
shedfrom
beingboundtodosuch,demonstratesapre-dispositionbytheNinthCircuit
againstFineinthiscase.

NinthCircuitPanel
November18,2009
Page3

Sncerelye

RICHARD1.FINE
RlF/mlm
cc:AaronMitchellFontana,Esq.
PaulB.Beach,Esq.
KevinM.Mccormick,Esq.
 Case: 09-56073 11/20/2009 Page: 4 of 7 DktEntry: 7138890

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Law.comHome>CongressSettoTakeAimatJudieialRecusals
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CongressSettoTakeAim atJudicialRecusals
HouseJudicialCommittee'sinterestmarksthefiottimeCongresshasflidedwithrecusal
guidelinessincea2004scrapbeGeencongressionalDemocratsandJusticeScalia
DavidIngram
TheNati onalLawJournal
November02,2009
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Congressispreparingtowadeintooneofthemostsensitiveofissuesforthefederaljudiciary:
whenajudgeshouldstepasidei nacaseandwhoshouldmakethatdecision.
TheHouseJudiciaryCommittee,IedbyRep.JohnConyers,D-Mi ch.,isplanningahearingon
federalrecusalguidelinesamidcontroversiesthathavesweptthroughstatecourtsystemsin
recentyears,culminatinginaU.S.SupremeCourtdecisionfivemonthsagothattightenedthe
recusalrequirementsforelectedstatejudges.
TheJudiciaryCommittee'sinterestmarksthefirsttimeCongresshasflirtedwithrecusal
guidelinessinceahi
gh-profil
escrapin2004betweencongressionalDemocratsandJustice
AntoninScalia.InadebatethatbrokealongpartisanIines,DemocratssaidthatScaliashould
haverecusedinacaseinvolvingthen-vicePresidentDickCheneybecauseheandCheneywere
partofagroupthatwentduckhuntinginLouîsîanawhilethecasewaspending.Nonprofits
seekingrecordsfromCheney'senergytaskforceeventuallyIost,7-2.
Underthecurrentsystem,federaljudgesgettodecideontheirownwhethertodisqualify
themselvesfromcases.Amongtheproposalsbeingdi scussedarerequi ringasecondjudgeto
ruleonarecusalmotion-ratherthanleavingthemoti ontothe''targeted''judge-andmaking

1
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substitutionautomati
cifanypadytoacaseswearsanaffidavitallegingprejudice.Some
Iawmakers,incl udingConyers,havealsosaidinthepastthattheywantasystemtoreview
recusaldecisionsbyU.S.SupremeCourtjustices.
IninterviewsIastweek,severalfederaljudgesraisedconcernsabouthowanewsystemwould
workandwhetherthereareanyproblemsnowthatneedaddressing.
''Wedreverysensitivetothewholeareaandhavetriedtoaddressi
t,''saidJudgeJ.Harvey
Wil
kinsonIlIofthe4thU.S.CircuitCourtofAppeals.Aformerchi
efjudge,Wilkinsonsaidhehad
noopinionyetonpossibl
echangesbutwouldwatchtheissuecl
osely.
WHENTOSTEPASIDE
FederalIaw,judicialcanonsandadvisoryopinionsfromtheJudicialConferenceaIIguidethe
recusalprocess.Courtcomputers,forexample,areprogrammednottoassignacasetoajudge
whoownsstockinoneoftheparties.Ingeneral,judgesmustalsorecuseifthey'veworkedon
thecaseinthepastasalawyerorifacloserelativeisinvolved.
Butthedecisioncanbecomemuchmorecomplicated,especiallyafteramotionthatajudge's
impartiality''
mightreasonablybequestioned.''ln1992,televisioncompani essoughtthe
disqualificati
onofJudgeRichardPosnerofthe7thCircuitinacaseinvolvingFederal
Communi cationsCommissionrulesaboutfinancialinterestandsyndication.Thecompaniescited
thefactthat,whilealawprofessor15yearsearlier,Posnergaveexperttestimonyonbehalfof
CBS.Partiessubmi ttedbriefs,andPosnerissuedanusual2,800-worddefenseofhisdecisionto
remainonthecase.Apetiti ontorevi
ewhisdecisionenbancfailed.
Thelatestcongressionalattenti onwassparkedbyCapedon1-A.rMasseyCoalCo.ln
Caperton,WestVirginia,ChiefJusticeBrentBenjaminrefusedtostepasideeventhoughamajor
campaigncontributortothejudge'selectioncampaignwasthechiefexecutiveofA.T.Massey.In
June,theSupremeCourt,ina5-4decision,foundthattheU.S.Constitution' sdueprocesscl
ause
requiredBenjamin'srecusal.
Eventhoughfederaljudgesareappointedbythepresident,thosepushingforchangessaid
casesIikeCapefonthreatenthepublic'sconfidenceintheentirejudiciary.
''
Thesebigrecusalcasesserveasexclamationpointsfortheideathatjudgesarepeople,too,''
saidCharlesGeyh,aprofessoratIndianaUniversityMaurerSchoolofLaw-Bloomingtonwho
directedarecentAmericanBarAssociationstudyonrecusals.Geyhwasscheduledtotestify
beforetheHouseJudiciaryCommitteeonOct.20aboutrecusal s,butthehearingisbeing
rescheduled.
OneseniorDemocraticaidetotheHouseJudi ciaryCommitteesaidtheIawmakerswantto
examine''whetherthereisaneedtochangeseveralsubstantiveandproceduralaspectsof
federaljudicialrecusallawssoastopromotegreatertransparencytothepublicandwithinthe
judicialbranch.''Theaidewasnotauthorizedtospeakontherecordandrequestedanonymi tyto
discussthecommittee'splans.
Thetimeisright,Geyhargues,tothinkaboutchanges.NineteenstatesallowIitigantsto
disqualifyajudgewithoutevenhavingtostateareason.Eightstatesrequirethatasecondjudge
betheonetoruleonadisqualificationmotion.''
There'ssomethingweirdlyparadoxicalthata
judgegetstoruleonwhetherhe'stoopadialtoruleinacase,''Geyhsaid.''Ifitbecomesa
contestedmatter,whynottransferi
ttoanotherjudgeandincreasetheconfidenceI evelinthe
Process?''

2
 Case: 09-56073 11/20/2009 Page: 6 of 7 DktEntry: 7138890

Thosewhofavoranoverhauloftherecusalprocessclaimoverwhelmingpublicsupport.Justice
atStake,aD.C.nonprofitthatadvocatesforjudicialindependence,releasedapollthisyearin
which81percentofrespondentssaidthatjudgesshouldnotdecidemotionsaskingthemtostep
aside.
MOREJUDGE-SHOPPING?
Findingsuppodamongjudgesisn'tsoeasy.
'Ithink,byandIarge,oursystemworksfairlywelI,''saidJudgeReggieWaltonoftheU.S.Distrid
CoudfortheDistrictofColumbia.Askedaboutasystemwhereajudgeautomaticallystepsaside
whenasked,Waltonsaidi tcouldIeavethedooropentoabusebyovecealousIitigantslooking
foranextraadvantage.'Thatbecomesparticularlyproblematic,becauseyoudon'twantparties
tojudge-shopj''hesaid.
Accordinga2008ABArepodonrecusals,statesthathaveanautomaticrecusalsystemusea
varietyofmethodstodeterjudge-shopping.AlaskaandSouthDakotarequirepartiestoswear
affidavi
tsallegingbias.OtherstatesIimitchallengestooneperside,whileMontanapermits
sandionsagaînstIawyerswhofiieimproperdisqualifiœtionmotions.
ChiefJudgeEdi thJonesofthe5thU.S.CircuitCourtofAppealssaidmovingtherecusaldecision
toanotherjudgewillonlywastetimebecausesuchdecisionsarealreadyreviewablebyhigher
courts.''Ireallythinkthisisasolutioninsearchofaproblem.Thereareotherproblemsthatthe
judiciaryhasthatCongressmaywanttotakeaIookat,suchasthecostanddelaysinIitigationj''
Jonessaid.
Inrecentyears,judgeshaveresistedIegislativemandatesabouthowthefederalcourtsystem
operates.TheybeatbackaproposalbyRep.JimSensenbrenner,R-Wis.,tocreateaninspector
generalforthejudiciary.And,afterScalia'sdecisionnottorecuseintheCheneycase,then-chief
JusticeWilliamRehnquistrejectedarequestfromConyersandRep.HenryWaxman,D-calit,to
setupasystemtoreviewjustices'recusaldecisions.InaIettertotwosenators,Rehnquistalso
wrotethatquestionsaboutScalia'sreasoningwere''ilIconsidered.''
Still,congressionalinquiriessometimespromptactionwithinthejudiciary.InMarch,theJudicial
Conferenceadoptedrevisionstoitsethi
cscode,intheIatestresponsetorecommendationsfrom
acommitteeIedbyJusticeStephenBreyer.Thecommitteewassetupinresponsetopressure
fromCapitolHill.
'DEADLETTER'LAW
ThefederallawsettingoutastandardforwhenajudgemustrecusehasremainedIargelythe
samesince1974,wheni twasmodeledonanABAproposal.Aseparatelawthatdatesto1949
saysthatajudge''shallproceednofurther''inacaseifapartyfilesanaffidavi
tallegingbias.But
that'
snothowthesystemworksinpractice,andGeyhsaidthejudiciaryhasfoundenoughways
aroundtheIawthatit'sa''
deadletten''
'Youhavestatutesthatsetforthgeneralstandards....ThequestionforCongressis:Dothey
thinkthecourtshavedoneabadjobinterpretingthem?''saidMayerBrownpadnerAndrewFrey,
whorepresentedA.T.MasseyintheCapertoncase.
Otherproceduralquesti
onsIingerforCongressandthecouds.Ifafederaljudgerefusestostep
aside,shouldthestandardonappea!bewhetherheabusedhisdiscretion,asitisin28states,or
 Case: 09-56073 11/20/2009 Page: 7 of 7 DktEntry: 7138890

shouldi
tbeIower?Andshouldjudgesbeencouraged,afterruling,tomakeagreaterelortto
explaintheirreasoning?
Anychangeswi
thinthejudi
ciarywouldgothroughtheJudicialConference'sCommitteeon
CodesofConduct.ItschairwomanisJudgeM.MargaretMcKeownofthe9thCircuit,andshe
wasscheduledtotesti fybeforeCongressontheissue.McKeowndeclinedaninterviewrequest.
lnastatement,shenotedthattheCommitteeonCodesofConduct''providesethicsadviceand
trainingthatincludesissuanceofmorethan100advisoryopinionsannuallyandresponseto
nearly1,000informalrequestsforethicsadvice.''
JamesSample,anassociateprofessoratHofstraUniversitySchoolofLawandarecusalexped,
saidtheCapertonrulingisgi vingmomentumtothosewhowanttoseemore.Thecase,hesaid,
''providesacompellingnarrativeoftherisksthatareposedwhenfaimess-ortheperceptionof
fairness-suffers,whateverthesourceoftheperceivedunfairnessmaybe.AndCongress
cedainlyhasaninterestinthat.''

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