The unusual order
Here’s how Think Progress justice writer and attorney Ian Millhiser described the order: “This is the single worst act of judicial misconduct I have ever encountered.”
Right. Millhiser seemed to be referring to Hanen having the gall to order the release of names, addresses and contact info of innocent people who have nothing to do with the case. Hanen appears to be wielding the order as a threat of intimidation.
But here’s a few other notable tidbits about his order:
1) Hanen quoted heavily from Hollywood movies in it (some judges are more prone to quoting from precedential cases);
2) He trafficked in conspiracy theories, suggesting some kind of collusion among attorneys “somewhere in the halls of the Justice Department whose identities are unknown to this Court.” (Too bad he didn’t order the release of their names too);
3) He ordered the Justice Department attorneys in Washington working on the case (potentially hundreds) to attend ethics courses every year (yeah, that’s gonna happen). Oh, and let’s not forget Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
He also ordered the Attorney General herself to “report to this Court in sixty (60) days with a comprehensive plan to prevent” the alleged misconduct that Hanen believes happened in his courtroom “from ever occurring again.”
Surely Lynch is on Orbitz at this very moment.
Once again, if you’re looking for a test of Hanen’s propensity for sound judgment, remember that he took this case seriously and it’s still ongoing (1:14-cv-00119, for your referencing pleasure).
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