Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Westphal v. Wagner: yesterday's fascinating hearing

  Here's the latest on Westphal v. Wagner—the lawsuit that challenges district (SOCCCD) prayers at Commencement, etc.
     The situation is complex. District Judge R. Gary Klausner made some (from our perspective) unfortunate and erroneous judgments, and so we find ourselves before the 9th District Court of Appeals. Meanwhile, we go forward with the case.
     The appellate hearing occurred yesterday, in Pasadena, and it was fascinating. It makes Wagner and Co. look pretty bad. (That doesn't mean we're gonna win. That's hard to say.) I do recommend that you listen to the whole thing.

     To listen to the hearing, click here.

     The judges seem very sympathetic to the plaintiff's side. Even the most conservative judge! Our attorney, Ms. Kahn, is very impressive.

Attorneys:

     • Attorney for plaintiffs: (Americans United for Separation of Church and State) Ayesha Khan
     • Attorney for defendants: (Jones Day) John A. Vogt

John A. Vogt
Appellate panel:

    • Harry Pregerson. Appointed by LBJ, he’s 87. He’s liberal.
    • Carlos T. Bea. Appointed by George W Bush. He’s 76.
    • Richard R. Clifton. He’s 60, the youngster of the trio. Appointed by George W. Bush.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

lookin' good!

Anonymous said...

Interesting.

How much is the district shelling out to carry this forward? Any estimates?

Anonymous said...

Wow - Khan is great. So great to hear someone speak so smartly about this -and be received so well.

Roy Bauer said...

9:33, I don't know how much they've spent, but it is surely a great deal. Back in May, the board acted to reserve $2 million to pursue the case.

Anonymous said...

Wow. Because there is nothing better they could be doing with that $2 million, right? ES

Roy Bauer said...

Yup.

Anonymous said...

E pluribus buffoonum

In 1956, Congress passed and President Eisenhower signed into law establishing "In God We Trust" as the official national motto of the United States.

God always win.

Gladdie said...

People really should listen to this. It gets more interesting as it goes. Don Wagner is a real prize, isn't he? Glad he's gone.

Hearing Aids said...

I really appreciate your post and you explain each and every point very well.Thanks for sharing this information.And I’ll love to read your next post too.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...