And the Let Them Eat Cake Award goes to ...

Antonin Scalia! ...

from the Washington Times, no liberal rag: Scalia spends so much time stumping for his wack-o views (and duck hunting with Cheney)he can't be bothered to show up to vote in court. But the last line here is simply vintage Antoinette: "The Sixth Amendment gave even indigent defendants the right to an attorney, but the framers never meant to have government pay for the service"

"WASHINGTON, March 10 (UPI) -- Justice Antonin Scalia was giving a speech in New Orleans Tuesday and, unlike the rest of the Supreme Court, did not consider a death stay request from an Oklahoma inmate -- one more sign that his outside activities might be seriously interfering with his duties as a justice.

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Scalia was giving a speech Tuesday at a conference sponsored by the Louisiana Organization for Judicial Excellence, based in Baton Rouge. Times-Picayune writer Gwen Filosa said the organization "advocates merit selection of judges -- a system that typically involves a governor picking a state district or appeals judge from a list of names winnowed by a blue-ribbon commission -- rather than direct elections."

There was no indication that Scalia was so busy with the speech that he did not have time to properly consider Brown's documents. Justices usually participate in votes on death stays, no matter where they are or what they are doing. Modern communication allows them to cast votes from Europe or Asia, even during the height of the summer recess, while clerks back in Washington handle the paper work.

One tenuous clue as to why Scalia did not participate in the Brown vote may be found in the text of his New Orleans speech. Scalia criticized activist judges across a broad range of issues. Among the targets of his criticisms was how the courts interpret the Sixth Amendment. The Sixth Amendment gave even indigent defendants the right to an attorney, but the framers never meant to have government pay for the service, Scalia told his audience. "

washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040310-111004-6156r.htm