Non-scandal.

At salon.com, Will Evans with the Soros-funded Center for Investigative Reporting has a new exposé on the President's judicial nominees, breathlessly titled, "Money trails lead to Bush judges." The subtitle is, "A four-month investigation reveals that dozens of federal judges gave contributions to President Bush and top Republicans who helped place them on the bench."

Despite the headlines and passages about what "some" ethics experts think, if one reads the piece carefully it becomes clear that these donations are legal, in keeping with current ethical standards, and, oh yeah, historically normal. Here's a list of Clinton judicial nominees who made similar contributions in the 1990s.

Santorum Signs Judicial Oath

Last Friday, a coalition of center-right groups asked Senate candidates running for election or reelection next month to sign a “Fair Judiciary Oath,” pledging that they “will work to see that everyone duly nominated to serve on the federal judiciary gets a fair confirmation process.” Today, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) announced that he has agreed to sign the Oath. Said Sen. Santorum,

"Every judicial nominee put forth deserves to have a timely up-or-down vote on the floor of the United States Senate. The partisan delaying tactics that we’ve seen in recent years only prevent our judicial system from operating in the fair and balanced manner that it was intended. I am committed to working to ensure a fair process for all future nominations, and I am pleased to sign this pledge."

UPDATE (Oct. 26): Senator Jim Talent (R-MO) agreed today to sign the Oath.
UPDATE (Oct. 30): Mike Bouchard, Republican Senate candidate in Michigan, has signed the Oath.

(cross-posted at ConfirmThem)

Lynne Stewart: The New O.J.

In an article titled "O.J. Trials for Terrorists," Ann Coulter, with her usual verve, humor and tenacity takes a look at Clinton-appointed Judge John Koeltl's decision to give Lynne Stewart 28 months for aiding terrorists. Here is a bit of the article:

"Democrats run apparently sane candidates for office, like James Webb in Virginia and Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, who can puff up their chests and pretend they want to pursue terrorists -- while carping about any and all military action in the terrorists' general direction. Instead, let's turn terrorists over to courts full of Clinton and Carter judges! Democratic candidates get to look tough, and the terrorists go scot-free...After President Bush signed a law this week providing for military tribunals for terrorists being held at Guantanamo and prohibiting their torture, Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin said, 'We will look back on this day as a stain on our nation's history.' (Note to Democrats: It's still too soon to use "stain" as a metaphor for a White House brouhaha.) Democrats stood outside the White House shouting "Torture is a crime!" and "Bush is the terrorist!" Yep, these are the people who claim they're going to keep us all safe, America. Everybody good with that?"

"A stinging rebuke to the Supreme Court"

In today's Wall Street Journal Berkeley law professor John Yoo has a brilliant piece in which he cogently argues that the mainstream media "in its eagerness to magnify an intra-GOP squabble" ignored the truly important - historic even - substance of the recent military commission bill.

Activist Judges a Threat to Direct Democracy?

John Fund had an excellent article in yesterday's WSJ on how activist judges (and others) are doing everything they can to defeat efforts by citizens to govern themselves when their representatives refuse to act according to their will.