Appendix — Liberty Lobby, Inc. v. Dow Jones & Co.
Supreme Court brief1988
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b j Suprans Court, Va
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No. 88- | JUN
Pa SEPITE. SPANIOL, Re
ha CLERK
IN THE
Supreme Court of the United States
OCTOBER TERM, 1988
Tia ARREST
LIBERTY LOBBY, INC.,
Petitioner,
—against—
DOW JONES & CO., INC.
and RICH JAROSLOVSKY,
Respondents.
APPENDIX TO PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI
TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR
THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT
MARK LANE
132 Third Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
(202) 547-6700
Attorney for Petitioner
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INDEX OF APPENDICES
Appendix A Order of the United
States Court of
Appeals for the
District of Columbia,
April 12, 1988
Appendix B Order of the United
States Court of
Appeals for the
District of Columbia,
March 18, 1988
Appendix C Order of the United
States Court of
Appeals for the
District of Columbia,
March 18, 1988
Appendix D Order of the United
States Court of
Appeals for the
District of Columbia,
February 25, 1988
Appendix E
Appendix F
Appendix G
Appendix H
i oe
Appellant's Motion to
Reconsider Appellant's
Appellant's Application
for Disqualification of
Honorable Robert H. Bork
Pursuant to Title 28
Section 455
United States Code,
February 5, 1988
Opinion by Judge Bork
for the United States
Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia,
February 5, 1988
Order of the United States
Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia,
December 7, 1987 by
Judge Bork
Order of the United States
Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia,
December 7, 1987
Appendix
Appendix
Appendix
Appendix
-iii-
Appellant's Motion for
Disqualification of
Honorable Robert H. Bork
Pursuant to Title 28
Section 455
United States Code,
November 23, 1987 189
Order of the
United States Court
of Appeals for the
District of Columbia,
November 19, 1987 203
Order of the United
States Court of
Appeals for the
District of Columbia,
November 4, 1987 205
Order of the United
States District Court for
the District of Columbia,
September 25, 1986 207
Appendix M
-iyv-
Plaintiff's Motion
Asserting Bias or
Prejudice of the
Court and For
Disqualification of
Judge Jackson,
September 25, 1986 209
Exhibit A Transcript
February 27, 1986 274
APPENDIX A
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia Circuit
No. 86-7017
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Appellant
Vv.
Dow Jones & Company, Inc., et al.
ORDER
Upon consideration of Appellant's
Motion for Reconsideration of its
Application for Disqualification of
Judge Bork due to Misconduct of and
Deception Practiced by Appellees and
Their Counsel and for Sanctions, the
opposition thereto and of the reply it is
_ =
ORDERED, by the Court, that
Appellant‘s Motion is denied.
FOR THE COURT:
CONSTANCE L. DUPRE, CLERK
BY:
Robert A. Bonner
Deputy Clerk
FILED APRIL 12, 1988
wifes
APPENDIX B
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia Circuit
No. 86-7017
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Appellant
v.
Dow Jones & Company, Inc., et al.
BEFORE: Wald, Chief Judge; Robinson,
Mikva, Edwards, Ruth B. Ginsburg, Starr,
Silberman, Buckley,* Williams, D.H.
Ginsburg and Sentelle, Circuit Judges
ORDER
Appellant's suggestion for rehearing
en banc has been circulated to the full
Court. No member of the Court requested
the taking of a vote thereon. Upon
consideration of the foregoing, it is
ORDERED, by the Court, en banc, that
the suggestion is denied.
Per Curiam
FOR THE COURT:
“ CONSTANCE L. DUPRE, CLERK
BY:
Robert A. Bonner
Deputy Clerk
"Circuit Judge Buckley did not
participate in this order.
FILED MAR 18, 1988
APPENDIX C
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia Circuit
No. 86-7017
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Appellant
Vv.
Dow Jones & Company, Inc., et al.
BEFORE: Edwards and Williams, Circuit
Judges
ORDER
Upon consideration of Appellant's
Petition for Rehearing, filed February
19, 1988, it is
oe
ORDERED, by the Court, that the
Petition is denied.
Per Curiam
Constance L. DuPre
CLERK
bY:
Robert Bonner
Deputy Clerk
FILED MAR 18, 1988
APPENDIX D
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia Circuit
No. 86-7017
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Appellant
Vv.
Dow Jones & Company, Inc., et al.
BEFORE: Edwards and Starr, Circuit
Judges
ORDER
Upon consideration of Appellant's
Motion to Reconsider Appellant's Motion
for Disqualification it is
mais
ORDERED, by the Court, that
appellant's motion is denied.
Per Curiam
Constance L. DuPre, Clerk
BY:
Catherine L. Bateman
Deputy Clerk
FILED FEB 25, 1988
APPENDIX E
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia
No. 86-7017
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Appellant
Vv.
Dow Jones & Company, Inc.,
and Rich Jaroslovsky, Appellees.
APPELLANT'S MOTION TO RECONSIDER
APPELLANT'S APPLICATION FOR
DISQUALIFICATION OF
HONORABLE ROBERT H. BORK PURSUANT TO
TITLE 28 SECTION 455 UNITED STATES CODE
The appellant respectfully requests
that the Court recuse Honorable Robert H.
Bork from participating in the decision
of this cause which was argued on Decem-
ber 8, 1987, in that his impartiality
might be reasonably questioned as a
result of his close association with two
is.
important figures in this case. On
November 23, 1987, prior to the
scheduled argument of this case, ap-
pellant filed a motion respectfully
requesting that Honorable Robert H. Bork
recuse himself. On December 7, 1987
this Court denied that application for
the reasons set forth in a five page
memorandum written by Judge Bork.
A substantial change in circumstance
and newly discovered evidence, each made
available after the decision of this
Court on December 7, 1987, provide the
basis for this application for recon-
Sideration. The appellant submits
herewith a statement of points and
authorities and other documents setting
forth in some detail both the change in
= eo
circumstance and the new discovered
evidence in support of this motion.
February 4, 1988
Respectfully submitted,
Mark Lane
132 Third Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002
(202) 547-6700
Counsel for Appellant
ae oo
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia
No. 86-7017
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Appellant
7 a
Dow Jones & Company, Inc.,
and Rich Jaroslovsky, Appellees.
STATEMENT OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES
IN SUPPORT OF APPELLANT'S MOTION
FOR RECONSIDERATION OF APPELLANT'S
APPLICATION FOR DISQUALIFICATION
OF HONORABLE ROBERT H. BORK
PURSUANT TO TITLE 28 SECTION 455
UNITED STATES CODE
On November 23, 1987 the appellant
moved for the disqualification of Honor-
able Robert H. Bork pursuant to Title 28
Section 455 of the United States Code.
In that motion the appellant asserted
that a basis for the lawsuit was an ar-
ticle published by appellees and written
by Suzanne Garment after consultation
=)
with her husband, Leonard Garment,
Esquire. The record reveals that Mrs.
Garment suffered from a lack of knowl-
edge regarding legal matters and that
although her article was about the
impact of the law on public figure
defamation cases, she knew nothing about
the leading cases in that area and in
fact believed that “the Sullivan Doc-
trine,” as she referred to it, might be
a treatise on defamation by a professor
Sullivan. On the other hand, her hus-
band Leonard Garment, Esquire is a
well-known attorney who maintains im-
portant contacts with various branches
of the United States government, includ-
ing the judiciary. In support of that
contention the appellant submits, as
Exhibit A pages 86 and 89 of the January
1988 issue of Regardies magazine which
= |
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sets forth in an article entitled “The
Power Elite" the “one hundred most in-
fluential people in private Washington”
according to that business magazine.
It is uncontroverted, based upon the
testimony of Suzanne Garment at a depo-
sition in this case, that she wrote the
defamatory article and that she had con-
sulted with her husband, Leonard Gar-
ment, Esquire, about it. Efforts by
Liberty Lobby, Inc. at the deposition of
Suzanne Garment, to secure additional
information as to the role of Leonard
Garment, Esquire in the preparation of
the article were unsuccessful since Mrs.
Garment, upon the advice and instruction
of her counsel, who also served as coun-
sel for Dow Jones & Co., Inc., refused
to answer, and pleaded a privilege as a
atGn
result of the relationship with her hus-
band.
In the memorandum in support of its
motion for disqualification filed with
this Court on November 23, 1987, ap-
pellant asserted that both Leonard
Garment, Esquire and Suzanne Garment
held themselves out to be close friends
and associates of Judge Bork and were
apparently the two most active persons
in the United States in support of Judge
Bork's nomination to the United States
Supreme Court. In that memorandum ap-
pellant asserted that Mr. Garment ap-
peared on numerous radio and television
programs as the unofficial spokesperson
for Judge Bork during that period,
released Judge Bork's position to the
news media at least on one occasion.
ostensibly with Judge Bork's permission,
a
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and in addition, it was widely reported
in the press that Suzanne Garment, the
author of the defamatory article in this
case was also the author, with her hus-
band, of documents widely circulated in
support of Judge Bork's nomination to
the Supreme Court.
An important aspect of the appeal
pending before this Court is the asser-
tion by the appellant that Honorable
Thomas Penfield Jackson, the United
States District Judge in this case,
committed error by refusing to recuse
himself as a result of his relationship
with Leonard Garment, Esquire.
It appeared to appellant that Judge
Bork's impartiality in this matter might
be reasonably questioned and that due to
actions which have taken place outside
the four corners of the courtroom, it
wiDe
might be asserted that Judge Bork would
be more favorably inclined toward the
appellees.
The appellees and their counsel, who
may possess far greater information
about this matter than thus far ascer-
tained by the appellant, declined to
take a position regarding the motion to
disqualify Judge Bork.
On December 7, 1987, this Court
denied the Motion for Disqualification
of Judge Bork and published a five page
memorandum written by Judge Bork in sup-
port of that denial. In that memorandum
Judge Bork said “[fJirst, appellant
asserts that the Garments were active
Supporters of my nomination to be an
Associate Justice of the United States
Supreme Court." (Judge Bork's Memoran-
dum, p. 1) In his memorandum Judge Bork
=)’ =
denied that Mr. Garment's actions were
in any way coordinated or endorsed by
him and that “many groups and indi-
viduals took strong public positions for
or against my confirmation.” Judge
Bork’'s Memorandum, p. 3) Judge Bork
continued “[wlere I to recuse myself
every time an individual or group who
had supported or opposed my confirmation
was connected with a lawsuit, however
tangentially, I would, in my opinion, be
failing in my judicial duty and be of
greatly diminished usefulness to this
Court and the litigants it serves.”
Judge Bork implied that Leonard
Garment was one of many individuals who
favored or opposed his confirmation. In
addition, his memorandum contemplated
his continued service as a member of the
——eeEE~*~
=@a
United States Court of Appeals. How-
ever, Judge Bork has now resigned from
the United States Court of Appeals, sub-
sequent to December 7, 1987, and one of
the reasons previously proffered for
refusing to disqualify himself in this
case has been eliminated by the new
circumstances created by his resignation
from the Court. In addition, Suzanne
Garment, in an article published subse-
quent to the memorandum of Judge Bork
and the decision of this Court to deny
the motion disqualifying Judge Bork, has
asserted that her husband, Leonard
Garment, “was one of the leaders” of a
group established “to save the Bork
nomination if possible, to save Bork's
reputation in any case, and to expose
what had been done to him and to the
federal judiciary.” (Commentary,
———————————
January 1988, p. 23) In her impassioned
and highly political eleven page article
entitled "The War Against Robert H.
Bork" Mrs. Garment also asserted that "I
myself joined him [Leonard Garment,
Esquire] in the effort [to save the
nomination of Judge Bork].” (Id.) The
relevant page of the Commentary article
written by Mrs. Garment is submitted
herewith as Exhibit B. On December 14,
1987 the Legal Times, a law journal
published in Washington, D.C., devoted
part of its front page to this matter.
The author of that article reported that
Leonard Garment, Esquire stated that he
and Judge Bork are in the same poker
Circle. According to the author of the
article, Mr. Garment added that Judge
Bork's attendance at the poker games is
“spotty.” The relevant pages of Legal
=:
Times, p. 1 and p. 12, are submitted
herewith as Exhibit C.
While the past relationship of Mr.
and Mrs. Garment and Judge Bork are a
continuing matter of concern to the ap-
pellant, as well as to all those con-
cerned about the fair administration of
justice (please see the opinions of con-
temporary legal scholars on questions of
ethics referred to in the Legal Times
article, Exhibit C) the future rela-
tionship of Judge Bork and Mr. and Mrs.
Garment also raises troubling ques-
tions. While articles have been pub-
lished in the press, including the Legal
Times (Exhibit C, p. 1) as well as
Newsweek, speculating that Judge Bork
will join the American Enterprise Insti-
tute where Suzanne Garment now serves as
a scholar in residence, the appellant
x |
Cannot assert that such is the case.
The public relations office at American
Enterprise Institute, stating that it
was acting upon instructions, would only
respond “no comment at this time” when
asked if Judge Bork was joining that
Organization. According to the Legal
Times, Judge Bork's office also
responded "No comment" when asked to
respond to the earlier report published
in Newsweek. (Exhibit c, p. 2).
However, less reluctant to publish
its relationship with Judge Bork was the
National Review which, subsequent to the
decision of this Court denying Ap-
pellant's Motion to Disqualify Judge
Bork, announced that beginning in March
of 1988, a fortnightly “Commentator”
would be published. Among the commenta-
tor announced are Leonard Garment,
oo
Suzanne Garment and Robert Bork. Ap-
pellant submits herewith the relevant
pages of the National Review dated
February 19, 1988 as Exhibit D.
In his memorandum, Judge Bork im-
plied that his relationship with Leonard
Garment would not render recusal proper
even if that relationship were more
substantial due to Mr. Garment's “rather
tenuous connection with this lawsuit."
(Judge Bork's Memorandum p. 4). Judge
Bork found that “Leonard Garment's only
connection to this action is the fact
that his wife may have discussed with
him her intention to write a column
concerning Liberty Lobby." (Emphasis
Added) Actually, when asked if she
discussed the proposed column with her
husband Mrs. Garment responded "I must
have." (Suzanne Garment Deposition,
Se
November 18, 1985, p. 155) Almost imme-
diately thereafter Mr. LoBue, counsel
for Mrs. Garment and the defendants,
instructed the witness that “there is an
interspousal immunity at this point
which she can claim." (Id.) The record
therefore reveals that Mrs. Garment ap-
parently did discuss the proposed column
with her husband before she wrote it and
is barren of any further information
Since the privilege was invoked. Under
the circumstances it is difficult to
understand how Judge Bork can assert
unambiguously, as he did, in his memo-
randum, that “Leonard Garment's only
connection to this action is the fact
that his wife may have discussed with
him her intention to write a column con-
cerning Liberty Lobby."
soe.
Mr. Garment, without doubt, held
himself out to be the spokesperson for
Judge Bork, not merely one of many per-
sons who took a position on the nomina-
tion. It cannot be claimed that the
tenuous relationship which Judge Bork
found to exist between this case and
Leonard Garment also exists between
Suzanne Garment, the author of the
defamatory article in the case. On
October 26, 1987, in an article entitled
“Influence, Epilogue on Bork: Leonard
Garment's Obsession" Mr. Garment is
reported as telling Martin Tolchin of
the New York Times that “it was his
wife, Suzanne, a political scientist and
a former columnist for the Wall Street
Journal who involved him in the Bork
dispute." That article is submitted
herewith as Exhibit E. Mr. Garment
=) =
reported that his wife Suzanne “was
madder than hell” at aspects of the in-
quiry into Judge Bork's qualifications.
Mr. Garment is quoted as saying of his
wife “[s]he got upset, so I got upset,
and the more I got into it, the madder I
got .*
According to the New York Times, the
result of the anger felt by Leonard Gar-
ment and Suzanne Garment was "a husband
and wife operation, with the Garments
working together on research, advertise-
ments, petitions, white papers, and news
releases."
While Judge Bork, in his memorandum
has asserted that “Mr. Garment's actions
in support of my nomination were not in
any way coordinated with or endorsed by
me" and that "Mr. Garment played no role
in my preparation for the hearings or in
et
any of my subsequent activities con-
nected with the confirmation process”
Mr. Garment's published view differs
sharply. (Judge Bork Memorandum, p. 3)
According to the New York Times Mr.
Garment and his son Paul “visited the
Borks on the eve of the Judge's sched-
uled meeting with President Reagan.”
(Exhibit E). The New York Times report
.
The city was awash with rumors that
Judge Bork would ask that his name
be withdrawn.
"Bob said that he was tired, he
was weary, he just wanted to get
some sleep,” Mr. Garment recalled.
"I said, ‘You have an obliga-
tion. This transcends Robert Bork.
You can't walk away from it.
They've corrupted the process.'"
“By giving up before it goes to
the Senate, you're conceding the
basic accuracy of their case," Mr.
Garment added.
Judge Bork took the matter
under advisement, and announced his
decision at a news conference two
Gays later. "I called him and said,
‘God bless you,'" Mr. Garment re-
called. "I said, ‘I'm going to help
continues:
=2@.
you.’ He said, “You do whatever you
want, but I'm not doing any cam-
paigning.”
(New York Times,
October 26, 1987, p. Al4)
In summation the New York Times
asserted that while Leonard Garment
“jumped into the battle unbidden,”
Garment “consulted frequently with Judge
Bork, a long-time friend, who authorized
him to issue at least one statement on
his behalf.” (Exhibit E)
On October 20, 1987 the New York
Times reported that Leonard Garment “has
been advising Judge Bork.” (Exhibit F)
xeafter, Judge Bork wrote to the New
York Timés stating that Mr. Garment was
not his advisor aad that he did not
coordinate his activitiesS~with the
Judge. (New York Times, October aa,
1987, Exhibit G) However, Judge Bork ic
also asserted that Leonard Garment "is a
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friend of long standing" and that he,
Judge Bork, “value[s] his [Garment's]
friendship and appreciate[s] his efforts
to aid me." (Id.)
Given the public record and the
record of this case, the conclusions
that Judge Bork's relationship with
Leonard Garment even if “more substan-
tial" could not adversely impact upon
the motion to disqualify Judge Bork and
that Judge Bork's conclusion that his
relationship with Leonard Garment fell
merely within a wide circle of friend-
ships, appear to be unsound. In view of
the public record, it cannot fairly be
said that the appellant has failed to
Show an appearance of bias or prejudice
sufficient to permit the average citizen
reasonably to question the judge's im-
partiality. It is that test which this
~$0—
Court held to be dispositive in U.S. v.
Heldt, 668 F.2d 1238 (D.C.Cir. 1981).
In the motion to disqualify filed on
November 23, 1987 the appellant asserted
that Mr. and Mrs. Garment held them-
selves out to be close friends and asso-
ciates of Judge Bork. By implication
Judge Bork denied the truthfulness of
that assertion in his memorandum.
(Judge Bork's Memorandum, pp. 3-4)
However, in writing to the New York
Times Judge Bork stated that Mr. Garment
was a friend of long-standing, which
appears to place him in a category more
akin to being a close personal friend
than merely within a wide circle.
The Law
The United States Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia held that
whe
“Section 455 contains a provision call-
ing for disqualification in a ‘proceed-
ing in which [a judge's] impartiality
might be reasonably questioned,‘ [and]
we join our sister circuits in conclud-
ing that a showing of an appearance of
bias or prejudice sufficient to permit
the average citizen reasonably to ques-
tion a judge's impartiality is all that
must be demonstrated to compel recusal
under 455." United States v. Heldt,
668 F.2d 1238, 1277 (D.C. Cir. 1981).
In support of that contention the Court
of Appeals cited United States v.
Mirkin, 649 F.2d 78 (lst Cir. 1981); In
re International Business Machines
Corp., 618 F.2d 923, 929 (2d Cir. 1980);
re v. McKenzie, 581 F.2d 1114 (4th
Cir. 1978); Potashnick v. Port City
Const. Co., 609 F.2d 1101, 1111 (5th
_—————————————————
Yo
Cir. 1980), cert denied 449 U.S. 820,
101 S.Ct. 78 (1981); Roberts v. Bailar,
625 F.2d 125, 129 (6th Cir. 1980); SCA
Servs, Inc. v. Morgan, 557 F.2d 110 (7th
Cir. 1977); United States v. Poludniak,
No. 80-2133 (8th Cir. Aug. 14, 1981);
Wood v. McEwen, 622 F.2d 797, 802 (9th
Cir. 1981); United States v. Ritter, 540
F.2d 459 (10th Cir.) cert denied, 429
U.S. 951, 97 &.Ct. 370 (1976).
The District of Columbia Court of
Appeals addressed the question of the
recusal of the administrative officer
who acted in a adjudicative or quasi-
judicial capacity in Morrison v., Dis-
trict of Columbia Board of Zoning
Adjustment, 422 A.2d 347 (D.C.App.
1980). In Morrison the Court held that
it has generally been recognized that
the same rules requiring the recusal of
aSten
judicial officers are applicable to
administrative officers who act in a
adjudicative or quasijudicial capacity.
In that case, the court ruled:
In the absence of a statute provid-
ing otherwise, a judge must recuse
himself when his alleged bias arises
from outside the “four corners of
the court-room," Tynan v. United
States, 126 U.S. App. D.C. 206, 210,
376 F.2d 761, 765, cert denied, 389
U.S. 845, 88 §.Ct. 95, 19 L.Ed.2d
Ill. 1956), and results in “an
opinion on the merits on some basis
other than what a judge learned from
his participation of the case.” In
re Evans, D.C.App. 411 A.2d 984, 995
(1980), quoting United States v.
Grinnell Corp., 384 U.S. 563, 583,
86 S.Ct. 1698, 1710, 16 L.Ed.2d 778
(1966).
Morrison v. District of
Columbia, etc.
422 A.2d 347, 350 (D.C.
App. 1980)
In Evans cited above the Court con-
Cluded “the appearance of bias on the
part of the trial judge necessitates
reversal” 411 A.2d at 993, and found
————
oS
demonstrated by a party or counsel, in
such a matter, generally adversely
impacts upon the right of the public to
fair con- sideration of contested
matters. In this instance,
specifically, it might well defeat the
appellate process since Judge Bork,
having established contro- versial
Standards as to his own qualifi- cations
to be impartial might tend to apply
those same or similar standards to the
Challenge presented by the appeal
regarding the partiality of Judge
Jackson.
The holding by this Court in Heldt
that the “appearance” of bias or preju-
dice is all that is required to demon-
strate the propriety of recusal is
sound, as these proceedings have re-
vealed. No party and no lawyer, after
Ve
457
having demonstrated the clear appearance
of bias, should be placed in the uncom-
fortable position of being constrained
to investigate the details of the cir-
cumstances already brought to the atten-
tion of the court in summary form and to
compile evidence which might impact upon
the credibility of statements made.
Judge Bork enjoyed a working rela-
tionship with Mr. Garment, both Mr.
Garment and Mrs. Garment were the two
most active and public participants in
the effort to win the nomination to the
United States Supreme Court for Judge
Bork, Mr. Garment was a leader in that
effort, Mr. Garment and Judge Bork
apparently still play poker together,
Mr. Garment, Mrs. Garment and Judge Bork
are Commentators for the National Review
and Judg2 Bork and Mrs. Garment may soon
|
be working together at the American
Enterprise Institute. Judge Bork has
publicly described Leonard Garment as a
friend of long standing and Mrs.
Garment, the author of the offending
article, persuaded her husband to lead
the campaign for Judge Bork. At the
very least the record reveals that there
1s an appearance that Judge Bork may be
less than impartial in this matter,
especially in so sensitive a question
as to whether or not Judge Jackson
should have recused himself.
The refusal of counsel for Dow
Jones & Co, Inc. to take a position on
this matter raises additional ethical
considerations. If Mr. LoBue, counsel
for Dow Jones & Co., Inc. and Suzanne
Garment, iS in possession of information
which demonstrates that there is no
ae
close relationship, professional or
personal, between Judge Bork and Mrs.
Garment or between Judge Bork and Mr.
Garment, ordinarily one would suspect
that he would feel constrained to
respond in that fashion to the motion to
disqualify. If he is aware of facts
which should lead to disqualification he
is, the appellant believes, ethically
bound to disclose those facts, or at the
very least, to join in the motion.
If as Regardies asserts, Judge Bork
"benefitted tremendously in the public
eye from Garment's media blitzkrieg”
(Exhibit A) and if Sen. Orrin Hatch was
perceptive in concluding “[i]f I were in
Similar straits as Bob Bork, I'd give my
eye teeth to have a friend like Leonard
Garment" (Exhibit E) then Judge Bork has
reason to feel indebted to Leonard
~=£6-
Garment and Mrs. Garment since, accord-
ing to Mr. Garment, it was his wife,
Suzanne, who involved her husband in the
crusade to save Judge Bork's nomination
and reputation (Exhibits E and B).
Surely it cannot be denied that an
average, responsible citizen could
examine this record and conclude that
there is at least the appearance that
Judge Bork should be disqualified from
considering this case. No party, as a
matter of right, is entitled to have a
friend in court; each party is entitled
to an impartial hearing. It is this
basic approach, after all, that lies at
the heart of our concept of due process.
For the foregoing reasons the ap-
pellant respectfully requests that this
Court appoint a special master empowered
to conduct depositions so that the full
————————
a |, Pe
record may be revealed and the parties
to this lawsuit and the Court, as well
as the public, be assured that there is
no impediment to the impartial adminis-
tration of the law in this matter.
February 4, 1988
Respectfully submitted,
Mark Lane
132 Third Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002
(202) 547-6700
Counsel for Appellant
=
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that true copies
of the foregoing Appellant's Motion for
Reconsideration of Appellant's Motion
for Disqualification of Honorable
Robert H. Bork and Statement of Points
and Authorities in support thereof were
mailed, first class, postage prepaid to
Robert P. LoBue, Esquire, Patterson,
Belknap, Webb & Tyler, 30 Rockereller
Plaza, New York, New York 10112 on this
5th day of February, 1988.
Mark Lane
RECEIVED
FEB 5, 1988
CLERK OF THE UNITED
STATES COURT OF APPEALS
~~
EXHIBIT A
LEONARD GARMENT
Partner
DICKSTEIN SHAPIRO &
MORIN
These days Garment is Washington's
premier power lawyer. When the mistakes
or misdeeds of the high-and-mighty are
splashed across the front page of the
Washington Post, he's the guy they're
most likely to call to get them out of
trouble. Business has never been better.
There are keener legal minds and
better courtroom thespians than Garment,
but few lawyers understand the workings
of Washington as well as he does. His
access to the highest reaches of power--
from the press and the judiciary to
-44-
Capitol Hill and the White House--may be
second to none. And if he hasn't al-
ready joined the ranks of such lawyer-
legends as Clark Clifford, Robert
Strauss [see entry], and Edward Bennett
Williams [see entry], he's on the
verge. Garment's reputation, the Ameri-
can Lawyer recently said, is “edging
toward the Olympian.”
Garment's genius for media manipula-
tion--he'’s a masteft craftsman of “spin
control," the fine art of making the
press and the public see things your
way--makes him one of Washington's top
legal guns-for-hire. He attracts
clients who want more than verdicts of
innocence; to remain in or return to
their high-level positions, they need to
win back a measure of their former
Stature and respect. And when it comes
45-
t lawyering in the court of public
pinion, Garment is in a class by
himself “If you qualify for becoming
shea 2 +
4
4
Len's client,” says Robert McFarlane,
President Reagan's former national
security adviser, “you have a lot going
for you already.
McFarlane, Charles Wick, Edwin
Meese, Fiat Corporation, Toshiba Cor-
poration--these are some of the powerful
:
people and companies that have turned to
Garment in times of need. In McFar-
lane's case, Garment parceled out exclu-
Sive tidbits of confession and apology
to a ravenous media, which portrayed
McFarlane as a sympathetic figure.
Recently he launched a similar strategy
on behalf of Toshiba, which is in
trouble for its part in the sale of
-~46-
banned submarine technology to the
Soviets.
Last year Robert Bork went down for
the count despite Garment's well-
publicized presence in his corner.
however, benefited tremendously in
the public eye from Garment's media
blitzkrieg. After Garment began to use
the press to skewer the opposition, Bork
seemed to gain some undefinable moral
An hour of Garment'’s time will run
you $250. If that sounds steep, just
consider what a crooked accountant could
do to your portfolio while you'’re in
ee)
—
—
(Tv
.
vs
,
»
REGARDIE'S
January 1988
=
EXHIBIT B
The War Against Robert H. Bork
by
Suzanne Garment
Thus pro-Bork and anti-Bork politi-
Cians worked together at the end to
hustle the Bork debate off the public
stage as quickly as possible. Well they
might. The war against Robert Bork
showed the modern American Left at its
ugliest, and the response by pro-Bork
forces showed the Right at its most
impotent.
To defeat Bork, the Left spent a
huge amount of money--$10 to $15 mil-
lion--on a negative political campaign
»9£ a size wholly unprecedented in the
history of American judicial selection.
i | ae |
~~
They could not have mounted such a
Herculean effort had they not hated Bork
with a special venom. And indeed they
did hate and fear him intensely, because
of the special role he had come to play
as a conservative in this country's
intellectual politics.
President Reagan was saying kiss-of-
death style, that it was up to Bork to
decide whether or not he wanted to with-
draw.
On Friday, October 9, Bork went to
the White House--to withdraw, the press
was certain. But then came one of the
few unplanned moments of the whole af-
fair. Bork asked the President whether
he would get support from the White
House if he stayed in the fight. The
President, promising what he could not
deliver, said yes. On the basis of
ni Gia.
Reagan's answer Bork walked in the White
House press room and said he was stay-
ing. For once, the journalists gathered
in the press room were truly surprised
by something that happened there.
During the period between that day
and the final vote on October 23, a
group consisting largely of attorneys,
acting from a combination of admiration
for Bork and anger at the nature of the
Campaign against him, launched a last-
ditch effort. They had several goals in
mind: to save the Bork nomination if
possible, to save Bork's reputation in
any case, and to expose what had been
done to him and to the federal judici-
ary. Leonard Garment, a Washington
lawyer, was one of the leaders (and I
myself joined him in the effort).
tan ~~ ays? Sr4 . a a te" AY rr T 7 i oe an al »s~ ee oo wt ao ». “=
SUZANNE GARMENT, a resident scholar at
the American Enterprise Institute, is
writing a book about the politics of
scandal in Washington. Her article,
"Can the Media Be Reformed?,” appeared
in our August 1987 issue.
COMMENTARY
January, 1988
ahs
EXHIBIT C
Friendship (and Foes) Present
Recusal Quandry for Bork
By Kenneth Karpay
Leonard Garment's staunch defense of
Judge Robert Bork's failed Supreme Court
nomination is raising an ethical dilemma
now that Bork has returned--for the time
being, at least--to the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Bork sits on a panel of judges that
is reviewing an appeal by the far right
Liberty Lobby in a libel case that
indirectly pits the group against
Garment's wife, Suzanne Garment. Ms.
Garment is a former associate editor and
columnist for The Wall Street Journal.
~~
The Liberty Lobby's lawyer--author
and D.C. solo practitioner Mark Lane--
moved for Bork to recuse himself from
the matter. Lane says he objected to
Bork's role in the case because of what
he assumed was Bork's close relationship
with the Garments.
"He was presented in the media as
the spokesman for the judge," says Lane,
who is perhaps best known as a proponent
of the theory that President Kennedy's
assassination was part of a conspiracy.
The friendship between Leonard
Garment, of D.C.'s Dickstein, Shapiro &
Morin, and Bork goes back long before
Garment's recent high-profile advocacy
of Bork's nomination. They served
together in the administration of
Richard Nixon and occasionally play in
the same poker game.
whiten
But last week, Bork issued a
five-page memorandum in which he rejects
Lane's motion for disqualification.
Removing himself from the Liberty Lobby
case, Bork said, is “unwarranted."
Bork also took the unusual step of
addressing possible future recusal
requests arising out of his contentious
Supreme Court confirmation battle. He
said he would be unlikely to remove
himself from cases involving litigants
or attorneys who played a role in the
nomination debate.
Bork and fellow Circuit Judges Harry
Edwards and Stephen Williams heard oral
arguments Dec. 8 in the libel case,
Liberty Lobby v. Dow Jones & Co. (No.
86-7017). The group sued Dow Jones, the
parent company of The Wall Street
Journal, over an October 1985 column by
Foe
Suzanne Garment about an unrelated
Liberty Lobby libel suit against The
National Review.
On the surface, it may appear sur-
prising that Bork would not recuse him-
self from the matter, particularly in
light of the fact that Suzanne Garment
actively joined her husband in his
pro-Bork campaign, writing advertising
copy and editing memorandums presented
to senators.
Moreover Bork is rumored to be on
the verge of leaving the Circuit to join
the American Enterprise Institute for
Public Policy Research (AEI), a con-
servative think tank where Suzanne
Garment now serves as a scholar in
residence.
But Bork argues that he has a firm
basis for rejecting Lane's recusal
motion, although ethics expert are not
so sure.
In his memorandum, Bork maintains
that the ABA Canons of Judicial Ethics
does not require recusal in the case.
Bork relies on a 1970 advisory opinion
by an ABA ethics committee that dis-
tinguishes between an acquaintance
involved in a case before the judge who
is “a very close friend and almost part
of the family” versus one who is “merely
within the wide circle of a judge's
friendships."
Writes Bork: "I have no difficulty
in finding that my friendship with the
Garments falls into the latter category."
Bork also says that Leonard Garment
has no real stake in the lawsuit, and he
notes that Ms. Garment has not been per-
sonally named as a defendant.
-56-
“Given the attenuated nature of Mr.
Garment’s connection with this lawsuit,
and my purely social acquaintance with
both the Garments, I am confident in my
ability to render an impartial judge-
ment,” Bork maintains.
While Bork easily resolves the ques-
tion, legal and judicial ethics experts
are troubled.
“In my view, he’s wrong,” says
Stephen Gillers, professor of Law at the
New York University School of Law.
"Bork should realize, that to the pub-
lic, the close connection between him-
self and Garment is clear--Garment was
the single most important lobbyist on
Bork's behalf."
But other ethics professors say that
the case may be more difficult than both
Bork and Giliers acknowledge.
-57-
“First I'm bothered by the fact that
Judge Bork cites the outmoded Canons of
Ethics, not the Code of Judi-
cial Conduct for U.S. Judges,” says
Robert Aronson, professor of law at the
University of Washington School of Law
in Seattle. Applying the new Code,
which Congress enacted into federal law
in the mid-1970s, Aronson says, “I think
it’s a very close call.”
Aronson, the author of a new law
school casebook on legal ethics, argues
that Bork should have considered two
tests before he ruled on the motion:
First, whether Bork himself believes he
could be impartial in the case, and
second, whether Bork's impartiality
might be questioned by a reasonably
objective person.
=’
Aronson says the facts of the case--
especially the Garments’ relationship
with Bork--are not totally clear. “My
own preference, in really close cases
[like this one], is for judges to recuse
themselves,” concludes Aronson.
Another ethics professor, Charles
Wolfram of Cornell Law School, says the
Garment matter presents “a close call.”
If I were a confidant of Judge
Bork's, I would have suggested [that]
another judge sit on the case," says
Wolfram, “But he does have a duty to sit
that can't be forgotten."
Adds Wolfram: “I'ma little mysti-
fied by the role of Leonard Garment. He
spoke initially as if he was Bork‘s
lawyer and then seemed later to back off
a little.
-59-
Shedding Garment
Just before the full Senate voted to
reject Bork in October, Bork wrote a
letter to the New York Times saying
Garment was neither his adviser nor his
spokesman.
Bork’'s memorandum last week reiter-
ates that point.
“Mr. Garment’s actions in support of
my nomination were not in any way coor-
dinated with or endorsed by me.” Bork
writes. “Mr. Garment played no role in
my preparation for the hearings or in
any of my subsequent activities con-
nected with the confirmation process.”
Bork calls “untrue” the contention
that Mr. Garment “was my spokesperson or
agent, officially or unofficially.”
The Garments agree with Bork's
description of their relationship with
-60-
the judge. “He is not a close friend
under the ABA's definition,” says Ms.
Garment, who worked at the Journal for
10 years before joining the AEI about 10
months ago.
Mr. Garment says that while he and
Bork are in the same poker circle,
Bork's attendance at games is spotty.
"I would say that in the last seven
years, I've seen him at a dinner party
of 12 people or more, less than two or
three times.” Mr. Garment says. “I've
never had lunch with him alone.”
And although the Garments engaged in
a well-publicized and unprecedented
lobbying campaign on Bork’s behalf, Mr.
Garment insists that he did his lobbying
without suggestions or directions from
Bork.
iP
“I @id it all on my own. I didn't
clear things with him,” Garment says.
For his part, Lane, counsel for the
Liberty Lobby, says he will not chal-
lenge Bork's recusal decision. “The
judge says they're not close friends, so
I accept that,” Lane says.
Dow Jones‘ counsel, Robert LoBue of
New York's Patterson, Belknap, Webb &
Tyler, would not comment on the recusal
matter, except to note that his side
took no position on the issue.
Perhaps anticipating other recusal
motions stemming from his confirmation
ordeal, Bork last week hinted that he
would not be inclined to step aside.
“Many groups and individuals took
strong public positions for or against
my confirmation,” Bork acknowledges.
-§2-
"Were I to recuse myself every time
an individual or group who had supported
Or opposed my confirmation was connected
with a lawsuit, however tangentially, I
would, in my opinion, be failing in my
judicial duty and be of greatly dimin-
ished usefulness to this court," Bork
adds.
At least one prominent litigator and
former Bork opponent, Alan Morrison of
Public Citizen Litigation Group, says
Bork's position is understandable.
In August, Morrison's group issued a
detailed and highly publicized report
concluding that Bork typically votes
against consumers, environmental groups,
and workers. and in favor of business
and the government. Earlier this month,
the group was before the entire circuit,
inciuding Bork, in an en banc argument
~
in a novel Freedom of Information Act
case.
Morrison says his organization did
not ask Bork to recuse himself from the
case. "There wasn't a legally suffi-
cient basis for it," contends Morrison,
a position that many legal experts say
is correct.
And Morrison adds he will not try to
remove Bork from other case argued by
his organization.
"Can you imagine what the rule could
be? You'd oppose a nominee in order to
get him off of your cases!" Morrison
asserts. "Sure, I'd oppose all of the
Reagan nominees and get them off of all
of my cases. That would be the defini-
tion of chutzpah.
Meanwhile, the speculation has been
mounting that Bork would soon resign
from the bench. "No comment” was his
office's response to a report by News-
week that Bork would soon join the AEI.
But an unidentified spokeswoman at
the AEI suggests that an announcement
about Bork could come in mid-to-late
December.
A spokeswoman in Bork's office ac-
knowledges that Bork has stiil not hired
clerks for the 1988-89 term, a sign that
he may already have decided to leave the
circuit.
LEGAL TIMES
December 14, 1987
-65-
EXHIBIT D
Memo to: Our Readers
From: WFB
At the latest meeting of the editors, we
decided on two innovative features.
The first, beginning next month,
introduces a fortnightly "Commentator."
We are pleased to announce our list
of Commentators. They include Robert
Bork, Leonard Garment, Suzanne Garment.
National Review
February 19, 1988
~
EXHIBIT E
Epilogue on Bork:
Leonard Garment's Obsession
Washington, Oct. 25--Near midnight
last Thursday, Leonard Garment was in a
telephone booth in the deserted Capi-
tol. He had just learned that Senate
Republican leaders had abandoned efforts
to stave off the defeat of the Supreme
Court nomination of Judge Robert H.
Bork. Mr. Garment was on the phone to a
reporter when a Capitol policeman told
him the building was closed.
For three weeks, he had waged a
lonely passionate fight for a nomination
universally considered doomed. He had
confronted not merely the Senate op-
ponents of Judge Bork, but also many in
wii ?.
the White House, Justice Department and
Senate Republican leadership who wanted
to end the agony and move on to the next
Supreme Court nominee. But Mr. Garment
felt strongly that the candidate had
been victimized by a campaign of politi-
cization and distortion, and should not
capitulate.
"This is the worst thing I've ever
seen in 20 years in Washington, from the
standpoint of misconduct, distortion and
deceitfulness" Mr. Garment said of the
Campaign to defeat Mr. Bork's nomination.
For weeks the 63-year-old Washington
lawyer had been working like a man pos-
sessed, marshaling support for what he
privately called Project Lazarus, after
the Biblical character raised from the
dead. Mr. Garment immersed himself in
ai «.
the Bork debate, writing briefs, cir-
culating petitions, paying for adver-
tisements and appearing on television
shows.
Blitzing the Senate
On the opening day cf Senate debate,
he was all over Capitol Hill. He was
outside the Senate chamber lobbying
senators and their aids, inside press
galleries lobbying the reporters, and |
working the telephones in the Vice
President's Senate office, which he
converted into a command post in behalf
of the nominee.
He jumped into the battle unbidden,
but consulted frequently with Judge
Bork, a longtime friend, who authorized
him to issue at least one statement on
his behalf.
«@Ge
Many Senate Republicans were not
amused. “Some of them just want to get
it over with,” said Senator Orrin Hatch,
Republican of Utah, an unabashed fan of
Mr. Garment. “If I were in similar
straits as Bob Bork, I'd give my eye
teeth to have a friend like Leonard
Garment.”
However, Judge Bork has disassoci-
ated himself somewhat from Mr. Garment's
actions. "Mr. Garment is a friend of
long standing, but he is not my ad-
viser,”" the Judge said in a letter pub-
lished Thursday in The New York Times.
“Nor is he, as reported elsewhere, my
lawyer or spokesman. I value his
friendskip and appreciate his efforts to
aid me, but his activities are not coor-
dinated with me, and he is in no sense
my agent.
~ =
Mr. Garment is no stranger to con-
troversy. The Brooklyn-born son of
immigrant parents and a former law
partner of Richard M. Nixon, he came to
Washington as President Nixon's special
consultant and, later, counsel. A
free-wheeling, clarinet-playing intel-
lectual, he was among the embattied
moderates in the Nixon White House.
Since his return to private prac-
tice, he has made a fortune in legal
fees from corporate clients, and has
represented individuals he considered
victims of persecution. He has ex-
ploited his extensive contacts in the
media as well as his own gift for the
quotable phrase.
A Passion for Causes
Mr. Garment becomes passionately
involved in his causes and clients. And
x. =
not all of his work for individuals has
been for free. The lawyer charged $250
an hour for his successful defense of
Attorney General Edwin Meese 3d, who was
cleared of charges that he violated
Federal ethics laws.
Just last May, Mr. Garment sat
beside Robert C. McFarlane, former
national security adviser, his client in
the Iran-Contra hearings. After Mr.
McFarlane's attempted suicide, Mr.
Garment persuaded his client to grant
interviews to a few journalists, to gain
sympathy and re-establish his credi-
bility.
As Mr. Garment tells it, it was his
wife Suzanne, a political scientist and
a former columnist for The Wall Street
Journal, who involved him in the Bork
dispute. As a scholar who had written
=F2n
on antitrust laws, one of Judge Bork's
areas of expertise, she had come to
respect the judge’s intellect and cour-
age, Mr. Garment recalled. She said
that she became incensed when she saw
him subject to what she viewed as
vilification during the confirmation
process.
Family Affair
“She was madder than hell,” Mr.
Garment recalled. “She said, “they're
destroying intellectual freedom, freedom
to think and to write. She got upset,
so I got upset, and the more I got into
it, the madder I got.”
The result was a husband and wife
operation, with the Garments working
together on research, advertisements,
petitions, white papers, and news
releases.
oFia
Mr. Garment had known Judge Bork
casually as a member of a poker group, a
poor player who kept a written list of
the relative superiority of winning
hands--straights, flushes, full houses.
Other players included Chief Justice
William H. Rehnquist, and Antonin
Scalia, the newly appointed Associate
Justice.
“Three weeks ago, I started to call
around to find out who was doing what”
in behalf of Judge Bork, Mr. Garment
said. To his dismay, he said, he
discovered that the White House, the
Justice Department and some Senate
Republicans had given up the fight.
Two weeks ago, amid rumors that
Judge Bork would ask that his nomination
be withdrawn, Mr. Garment obtained the
nominee*s permission to deny the rumors
-~74-
on his behalf. “I said to Bob, ‘It's
terribly important to stanch the hemorr-
haging,'” Mr. Garment recalled.
The same day, he and his wife
drafted a full-page advertisement that
ran in The Washington Post under the
headline, “This Time They've Gone Too
Far.“ The lawyer paid $35,000 for the
ad.
‘You Have an Obligation’
The next week, Mr. Garment appeared
on the “Today Show,” “Nightline,” and
various local news shows attacking Judge
Bork's attackers, saying that they had
distorted the nominee's views and
record. In midweek, Mr. Garment and his
son Paul visited the Borks on the eve of
the judge's scheduled meeting with )
President Reagan. The city was awash
~~ =
with rumors that Judge Bork would ask
that his name be withdrawn.
“Bob said that he was tired, he was
weary, he just wanted to get some
sleep,” Mr. Garment recalled.
“I said, ‘You have an obligation.
This transcends Robert Bork. You can't
walk away from it. They've corrupted
the process.‘”
“By giving up before it goes to the
Senate, you're conceding the basic
accuracy of their case," Mr. Garment
added.
Judge Bork took the matter under
advisement, and announced his decision
at a news conference two days later. “I
called him and said, ‘God bless you,’
Mr. Garment recalled. “I said, ‘I'm
going to help you.’ He said, “You do
|
x.
whatever you want, but I'm not doing any
Campaigning."
Eight days ago, at the judicial
conference in Hershey, Pa., the Garments
wrote and circulated a petition denounc-
ing the politicization of the Bork
debate. It was signed by 23 Federal
judges from New York. During the week
he worked with 15 volunteer lawyers to
produce 10 briefs attacking sections of
the Judiciary Committee report.
Day of Rejection
On Thursday, Mr. Garment met per-
sonal rejection on Capitol Hill. He was
barred from the Senate press gallery, at
the request of several reporters who
complained that he was a nuisance. Then
the Senate Republican leadership barred
him from the use of the Vice President's
room, just off the Senate floor.
Pee
yy
On Thursday evening, Mr. Garment was
last to learn that Judge Bork had
finally decided to abandon the fight.
Mr. Garment said that Judge Bork had
told him that he could not take another
week of it, Mr. Garment said. It is,
perhaps, a sign of how obsessed Mr.
Garment had become with the fight that
at that point he still thought that if
the vote were delayed, he could have
provided data that would have altered
the outcome. But he said he understood
Judge Bork's position.
When the senators stood up to be
counted on Friday, 58 of them voted
against the judge. The battle was over.
NEW YORK TIMES
October 26, 1987
EXHIBIT F
Inquiries Begun on Warning
to Pro-Bork Witness
By Martin Tolchin
Washington, Oct. 19--Leonard
Garment, a Washington lawyer who has
been advising Judge Bork, said: “The
Judiciary Committee cannot investigate
itself. It's the ultimate conflict of
interest.”
NEW YORK TIMES
October 20, 1987
= |
EXHIBIT G
Friend, Not Advisor
To the Editor:
An Oct. 20 news story [on inquiries
into possible harassment of Senate
Judiciary Committee witnesses] identi-
fies Leonard Garment as "a Washington
lawyer who has been advising me. Mr.
Garment is a friend of long standing,
but he is not my adviser. Nor is he, as
reported elsewhere, my lawyer or spokes-
man. I value his friendship and appre-
Ciate his effort to aid me, but his
activities are not coordinated with me,
and he is in no sense my agent.
ROBERT BORK
Washington, Oct. 20, 1987
NEW YORK TIMES
October 22, 1987
-~80-
APPENDIX F
Notice: This opinion is subject to
formal revision before publication in
the Federal Register or U.S.App.D.C.
Reports. Users are requested to notify
the Clerk of any formal errors in order
that corrections may be made before the
bound volumes go to press.
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia Circuit
No. 86-7017
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Appellant
Ve
Dow Jones & Company, Inc., et al.
Appeal from the United States
District Court for the
District of Columbia
(Civil Action No. 84-03455)
Argued December 8, 1987
Decided February 5, 1988
ie
Mark Lane for appellant.
Robert P. LoBue for appellees.
Before: EDWARDS, BORK AND WILLIAMS,
Circuit Judges.
Opinion for the Court filed by Circuit
Judge Bork.
Bills of costs must be filed within 14
days after entry of judgment. The court
looks with disfavor upon motions to file
bills of costs out of time.
BORK, Circuit Judge: This is a
libel action in which Liberty Lobby,
Inc., a citizens' group, seeks fifty
million dollars in compensatory and
punitive damages from the publisher of
The Wall Street Journal. After more
than a year of discovery, the district
court granted defendants' motion for
Summary judgment on the first count, and
judgment on the pleadings as to the
remaining four counts of Liberty Lobby's
complaint. We affirm the district
court's disposition of the case in all
afit.
respects, although we sometimes follow a
different route to the same result.
ba
On September 28, 1984, The Wall
Street Journal published a column en-
titled "Controversial Publisher--Racial
Purist Uses Reagan Plug.” Appendix to
Complaint, E.N. 1 (filed November 15,
1984) [hereinafter “Complaint"};1 Wall
St. J., Sept. 28, 1984, at 56, col. l.
The article, written by defendant Rich
Jaroslovsky, a ten-year veteran of The
Journal's news staff, bore the logo
"Politics 84," and was published as part
lNeither party to this appeal has
prepared an appendix, an omission that
has caused unnecessary work for the
court. We will cite record documents by
their Entry Number ("E.N.") on the dis-
trict court docket sheet and their date
of filing with that court. Where a
record document is also available in a
published source, we will cite that
source as well.
oft.
of The Journal’s coverage of the 1984
presidential campaign. The article is
reprinted in its entirety as Appendix A
to this opinion. The article states
that one Roger Pearson, an advocate of
racial betterment through genetic
selection, had received a letter of
commendation from President Reagan and
that he had exploited the letter to
promote his controversial publications.
According to the story, the letter was
composed by a Pearson associate on the
White House staff, and President Reagan
had never met Mr. Pearson. Jaroslovsky
concluded that the incident demonstrated
“how a highly ideological presidency--
conservative or iiberal--can be used by
well-connected outside activities to
gain respectability."
Nd
-~84-
In the course of discussing Pear-
son's past activities and associations,
the article asserted:
Other Pearson writings appeared
in Western Destiny, a magazine
published by the far right, anti-
Semitic Liberty Lobby. Mr. Pearson
edited Western Destiny briefly in
the mid-1960s and wrote several
books on race and eugenics that were
issued by Liberty Lobby's publishing
arm. These pamphlets are still sold
by the National Socialist White
People's Party, the Arlington, Va.
based American Nazi group; Mr.
Pearson says he doesn't have any
connection with that group.
App.A, infra, p. 35.
On November 15, 1984, Liberty Lobby
filed a complaint for libel in the
United Sates District Court for the
District of Columbia, basing jurisdic-
tion on diversity of citizenship under
28 U.S.C. § 1332 (1982). Complaint ¥f
1. Named as defendants were Dow Jones &
Co., Inc., the company that publishes
-~85-
The Journal, and Rich Jaroslovsky, the
author of the Pearson article. Id.
2-3.
Liberty Lobby claims that the quoted
passage is false and defamatory in two
respects. First, although Liberty Lobby
admits to being an anti-Zionist organi-
zation, it claims that The Journal's
Characterization of it as “anti-Semitic”
is false and injurious to its reputa-
tion. Complaint § 10. Second, Liberty
Lobby contends that it never published
the magazine, Western Destiny; nor did
it issue any books by Mr. Pearson. Id.
It further contends that no books or
pamphlets issued by Liberty Lobby are or
were sold by the National Socialist
White People's Party. Id.
In November, 1985, after eleven
months of voluminous discovery had been
=S6-
completed, Liberty Lobby sought and was
granted leave to amend its complaint to
add four additional causes of action for
libel against Dow Jones. See Motion for
Leave to Amend and Supplement the Com-
plaint, E.N. 46 (filed Nov. 1, 1985).
These claims were based upon a column
entitled “There's Nothing Like a Libel
Trial for an Education” which appeared
in the editorial section of The Wall
Street Journal on October 1l, 1985. Id.
exh. B; Wall St. J., Oct. 11, 1985, at
28, col. 3. The column was written by
Ms. Suzanne Garment, a member of The
Journal's editorial staff, and is
reprinted in its entirety as Appendix B
to this opinion.
Using as a vehicle the trial of
another libel action, one between
Liberty Lobby and The National Review, a
-87-
magazine of opinion, the column gave the
author's views “about libel suits in
general and their place in democratic
politics.” In introducing its theme,
the Garment column noted that Liberty
Lobby‘s claim based on the Jaroslovsky
article was at that time pending before
the district court, stating:
Over the years, Liberty Lobby
and Mr. Carto have sued a number of
publishers that called them racist
and anti-Semitic. Still pending is
a Liberty Lobby suit against The
Wall Street Journal, which last year
called Liberty Lobby “anti-Semitic”
and reported that it had published
various tracts by a promoter of
racial betterment through genetic
selection.
App. B, infra, at 37. This republica-
tion of allegedly defamatory material
from the Jaroslovsky story forms the
basis for Liberty Lobby'’s second cause
of action.
fia
The body of the Garment column dis-
cussed Liberty Lobby's trial strategy in
defending a counterclaim for libel
brought against it by The National
Review. The column described in detail
the courtroom scene prior to the de-
livery of opening arguments to the
jury. It noted the presence of a
“good-looking black female lawyer” at
Liberty Lobby’s counsel table with
Mr. Lane, the lead counsel, and went on
to state, “(t]he moment the jury filed
in--all black, as is not uncommon in the
District--you began to suspect that Mr.
Lane might have something in mind.” The
column then summarized Liberty Lobby's
opening argument to the jury, at one
point quoting Mr. Lane as saying:
If you read the words of Adolf
Hitler regarding superior races and
advanced races and inferior races,
you will have difficulty separating
-~89-
the words of Mr. Buckley in his
editorials in the National Review
from the words of Adolf Hitler.
App. B, infra, at 38. The column summed
up its discussion of Liberty Lobby's
trial strategy by stating:
So we see the Liberty Lobby standing
up in court, and calling Mr. Buckley
racist, most likely calculating that
blacks jurors will be too hypnotized
by this possibility to consider
other facts important. This is not
just an ordinary lawyer's trick.
This is breathtaking in its daring.
Most of us would be embarrassed to
appeal to a racial or religious
minority audience so crudely. We
know the Fair Play Patrol would at
once swoop down and cart us away.
But the Carto team is of sterner
stuff, able to put its head down and
go for broke.
Id. at 39.
The column questioned the utility of
highly inflammatory libel suits in a
democratic society, and compared “Louis
Farrakhan wowing them at Madison Square
Garden” to “Mark Lane in front of the
jury.” The statements in the Garment
=%O—
column concerning Liberty Lobby'’s con-
duct during The National Review trial
form the basis for its third, fourth and
fifth causes of action for libel against
Dow Jones.
On December 16, 1985, appellees
filed a motion for summary judgment on
the first cause of action based on the
Jaroslovsky article, and for judgment on
the pleadings as to the four claims
based on the Garment column. Memorandum
of Points and Authorities in Support of
Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment
and Judgment on the Pleadings, E.N. 57
(filed Dec. 1985).
On July 10, 1986, the district court
issued its memorandum opinion and order,
granting appellees’ motions and dismiss-
ing Liberty Lobby's complaint with
prejudice. See Liberty Lobby, Inc. v.
ll Din
Dow Jones & Co., 638 F.Supp. 1149
(D.D.C. 1986). The district court found
that the truth or falsity of The
Journal's statements concerning Liberty
Lobby's publishing activities was "“im-
material," for, even if false, they were
not “defamatory in the least of Liberty
Lobby but for the ... characterization
of the entire conglomerate as ‘anti-
Semitic'"” Id. at 1152. On the latter
score, the district court “suspect[ed]
that the term ‘anti-Semitic,’ as
Jaroslovsky has used it, is probably
constitutionally protected opinion.”
Id. (citing Ollman v. Evans, 750 F.2d
970, 974-84 (D.C. Cir. 1984) (en banc),
cert. denied, 471 U.S. 1127 (1985) ).
However, the district court went on to
hold that, to the extent the charge of
uO Be
anti-Semitism had any objectively veri-
fiable factual content, the statement
was substantially true. Id. Relying
upon the contents of a multi-volume file
Liberty Lobby kept on publication about
Jews” and upon the views expounded in
Liberty Lobby's official organ, The
Spotlight, the district court found that
appellees’ “evidence of Liberty Lobby's
institutional anti-Semitism in its most
malign sense” was “compelling.” Id.
With only the bald denial of the affi-
davit of Willis Carto, Liberty Lobby's
founder and chief executive officer,
weighing against appellees' evidence,
20n appeal, Liberty Lobby vigor-
ously attacks the characterization of
its research file on the Jewish religion
as anti-Semitic. See Brief of Liberty
Lobby at 18-20. Given our disposition
of Liberty Lobby's claims based upon the
allegation of anti-Semitism, see infra
pp. 19-21, we need not address the issue.
a
the district court concluded that no
reasonable jury could find by a pre-
ponderance of the evidence that the
ascription of anti-Semitism to Liberty
Lobby was false. Id. at 1153.
The district court also found that
dismissal of Liberty Lobby's claims
based on the Jaroslovsky article was
mandated by the complete lack of evi-
dence that any of the allegedly defama-
tory statements were published with
actual malice. The court noted that
Jaroslovsky had spent three months on
intermittent research, had reviewed a
large number of Liberty Lobby documents,
and had consulted various articles about
Liberty Lobby. Jaroslovsky had shown
these materials to his editor, who con-
curred in his judgment that Liberty
Lobby was anti-Semitic. The Journal's
in
Washington bureau chief, who was
familiar with Liberty Lobby's radio
program and its official publication,
The Spotlight, agreed. The district
court concluded that no reasonable jury
could find that The Journal had acted
with knowledge of falsity or reckless
disregard of the truth, “there being no
evidence of [actual malice] at all, much
less proof that is clear and
convincing.” Liberty Lobby, 638 F.
Supp. at 1153.
Turning to the Garment column's
reference to the Jaroslovsky article,
the district court found that this claim
was “extinguished by the demise of
Count I." Liberty Lobby, 638 F. Supp.
at 1153. In the alternative, the court
held that the “republication” was
=95-
shielded by the common law privilege
accorded to fair and accurate accounts
of official reports and records. Id.
The remainder of the Garment column
was, in the district court's view,
“simply descriptions of Garment's per-
sonal reactions to Liberty Lobby's
attorneys opening statement, nothing
more." Liberty Lobby, 638 F. Supp. at
1154. Even assuming Liberty Lobby's
charges of bias or vindictiveness were
true, Garment's comments on The National
Review trial were, in the lower court's
view, expressions of opinion entitled to
absolute first amendment protection. Id.
Under Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c), summary
judgment
shall be rendered forthwith if the
pleadings, depositions, answers to
interrogatories, and admissions on
file, together with the affidavits,
if any, show that there is no
genuine issue as to any material
Rhu
fact and that the moving party is
entitled to judgment as a matter of
law.
The motion requires the court to
look behind the bare allegations of the
pleadings to determine if they have suf-
ficient factual support to warrant their
consideration at trial. The Supreme
Court recently reaffirmed these prin-
ciples:
the plain language of Rule 56(c)
mandates the entry of summary judg-
ment, after adequate time for dis-
covery and upon motion, against a
party who fails to make a showing
sufficient to establish the
existence of an element essential to
that party's case and on which that
party will bear the burden of proof
at trial.
Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 106 S. Ct.
2548, 2553 (1986). See First Nat'l Bank
of Ariz. v. Cities Serves. Co., 391 U.S.
253, 289 (1968); 10A C. Wright, A.
Miller & M. Kane, Federal Practice and
Procedure § 2727 (1983). The party
aGFa
Opposing summary judgment “may not rest
upon the mere allegations or denials of
his pleading, but his response ... must
set forth specific facts showing that
there is a genuine issue for trial."
Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c).
Where a public figure, which Liberty
Lobby concedes that it is, or a public
official pursues a libel action, first
amendment requirements supplant both the
common law of defamation and the normal
standards of appellate review in several
respects. First, such a plaintiff must
Gemonstrate by at least a fair pre-
ponderance of the evidence that the al-
legedly defamatory statement is false.
See Philadelphia Newspaper In Vv.
Heeps, 475 U.S. 767, 775-78 (1986); Old
Dominion Branch No. 496, Nat'l Ass'n of
r rrier AFL-CIO v. A in, 418
t-
=9Q-
U.S. 264, 284 (1974) ("Before the test
of recklessness or knowing falsity can
be met, there must be a false statement
of fact."); Garrison v. Louisiana, 379
U.S. 64, 74 (1964) ("“[A] public official
[is] allowed the civil [defamation]
remedy only if he establishes that the
utterance was false.").
This requirement is fully applicable
at the summary judgment stage. Thus,
where a district court concludes upon
motion or its own initiative (after
proper notice) that no reasonable jury
could find by a fair preponderance of
the evidence that the statement com-
plained of is false, summary judgment
for the defendant should be granted.
Where the question of truth or falsity
is a close one, a court should err on
~99-
the side of nonactionability. See
Hepps, 475 U.S. at 776.
Second, a public figure or official
must demonstrate by clear and convincing
evidence that the defendant published
the defamatory falsehood with “actual
malice," that is, with “knowledge that
it was false or with reckless disregard
of whether it was false or not.” New
York Times v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254,
280 (1964). To support a libel judg-
ment, there must be evidence which
establishes in convincing fashion “that
the defendant in fact entertained seri-
ous doubts as to the truth of his pub-
lication." St. Amant v. Thompson, 390
U.S. 727, 731 (1968). Through the
defendant's own actions or statements,
the dubious nature of his sources, the
inherent improbability of the story or
-100-
other circumstantial evidence, the
plaintiff must demonstrate that the
defendant himself entertained a “high
degree of awareness of ... probable
falsity.” Garrison, 379 U.S. at 74.
This requirement, too, is applicable
when considering a motion for summary
judgment. The question for the court is
“whether the evidence presented is such
that a reasonable jury might find that
actual malice had been shown with con-
vincing clarity.” Anderson v. Liberty
Lobby, 106, S. Ct. 2505, 2515 (1986).
Finally, statements of opinion or
belief are nonactionable as a matter of
law. See Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union
of United States, 466 U.S. 485, 504
(1984) (“Under our Constitution ‘there
is no such thing as a false idea. How-
ever pernicious an opinion may seem, we
-101-
depend for its correction not on the
conscience of judges and juries but on
the competition of other ideas.'")
(quoting Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.,
418 U.S. 332, 339-40 (1974)). The
absolute protection accorded statements
of opinion stems, in part, from plain-
tiff's burden of proving falsity, a
component of which is proving that a
statement is amendable to disproof. But
as the language of Gertz suggests, the
rule has independent roots in the
limitations which the first amendment
places on the intrusion of any branch of
government, including Article III
courts, into the marketplace of ideas.
First amendment concerns also affect
a court‘’s posture in reviewing the
evidence presented con summary judgment.
Normally, the evidence presented upon a
-102-
motion for summary judgment is construed
in favor of the party opposing the
motion. See United States v. Diebold,
Inc., 369 U.S. 654, 655 (1962); 1OA C.
Wright, A. Miller & M. Kane, Federal
Practice and Procedure § 2727 (1983).
As to the nonconstitutional issues in a
libel action, this standard still ob-
tains. However, where the constitu-
tional prerequisites of falsity and
actual malice are at issue “an appellate
court has an obligation to ‘make an
independent examination of the whole
record’ in order to make sure that ‘the
judgment does not constitute a forbidden
intrusion on the filed of free expres-
sion.'”" Bose, 466 U.S. at 499 (quoting
New York Times, 376 U.S. at 284-86).
While Bose and prior cases involved
appellate review of trial verdicts in
hey
-103-
libel actions, logic and considerations
of judicial administration dictate that
the same level of review apply to the
granting of summary judgment. See
Herbert v. Lando, 781 F.2d 298, 308 (2d
Cir.) (applying Bose independent review
to summary judgment for media de-
fendant), cert. denied, 106 S. Ct. 2916
(1986); accord Bartimo v. Horsemen's
Benevolent & Protective Ass'n, 771 F.2d
894, 894-98 (5th Cir. 1985), cert,
denied, 106 S. Ct. 1635 (1986); Hardin
v. Santa Fe Reporter, Inc., 745 F.2d
1323, 1326 (10th Cir. 1984).
We turn to an analysis of the state-
ments at issue and the district court's
rulings.
A.
Unlike the district court, we think
Jaroslovsky's statements concerning
-104-
Liberty Lobby's publishing activities
have defamatory content independent of
the charge of anti-Semitism. Under
District of Columbia law,> a statement
is defamatory, “if it tends to injure
plaintiff in his trade, profession or
community standing, or lower him in the
estimation of the community." Howard
niv. vy. B , 484 A.2d 958, 988 (D.C.
1984) (citation omitted). “It is only
when the court can say that the publica-
tion is not reasonably capable of any
3Al1l parties to this diversity
Suit agree that the common law of the
District of Columbia governs this ac-
tion. Liberty Lobby, a Washington-based
advocacy group, alleges substantial cir-
culation of the allegedly defamatory
material in the District. See Complaint
2. See also Dowd v. Calabrese, 589 F.
Supp. 1206, 1210 (D.D.C 1984) (Under
District of Columbia conflict of law
principles, law to be applied in defama-
tion action is not that of forum where
offending publication was prepared, but
place where the plaintiff suffered the
most significant harm to reputation.).
-105-
defamatory meaning and cannot reasonably
be understood in any defamatory sense
that it can rule as a matter of law,
that it was not libelous.” Levy v.
American Mut. Ins. Co., 196 A.2d 475,
476 (D.C. 1964). See Afro-American
Publishing Co. v. Jaffe, 366 F.2d 649,
654 n.10 (D.C. Cir. 1966) (citations
omitted).
Here, The Journal article by
Jaroslovsky indicated that Liberty Lobby
had published Pearson's theories of
racial supremacy and genetic selection,
and that these publications were sold by
an American Nazi organization. A jury
could find that such an allegation,
standing alone, tended “to lower
[Liberty Lobby] in the estimation of the
community or to deter third persons from
dealing or associating with [Liberty
Lobby] in the estimation of the com-
munity or to deter third persons from
dealing or associating with [Liberty
Lobby]." Restatement (Second) of Torts
§ 559 (1977); see also id. illustra-
tion 2 (An allegation of membership in
the Ku Klux Klan is defamatory.). We
have little doubt that a District of
Columbia court would find that the alle-
gation of this type of publishing ac-
tivity has sufficient defamatory content
to go to a jury. See Afro-American Pub-
lishing, 366 F.2d at 655 (charge that
plaintiff store owner cancelled his sub-
scription to black magazine for racist
motives and made derogatory statements
about black customers could support
libel verdict).
We find, however, that these state-
ments about Liberty Lobby's publishing
>107-
activities are nonactionable as a matter
of federal constitutional law for two
reasons. First, we are convinced that
no reasonable jury could find by a fair
preponderance of the evidence that these
statements are false. Second, even if a
jury could find that the Jaroslovsky
article falsely exaggerated the connec-
tion between Liberty Lobby and Pearson's
writings, there is absolutely no evi-
dence that the statements were made with
“a high degree of awareness of
probable falsity." Garrison, 379 U.S.
at 74.
Ee
It is undisputed that both Western
Destiny and the Fearson books mentioned
in the Jaroslovsky article were pub-
lished by an unincorporated entity
located in Torrance, California, doing
-108-
business as The Noontide Press. See
Affidavit of Robert P. LoBue, E.N. 57,
4 85 (filed Dec. 16, 1985) [hereinafter
4
"LoBue Aff."]. The record evidence
that both Mr. Carto and Liberty Lobby
exercise substantial financial and
editorial control over the publishing
activities of Noontide is, in our view,
compelling.
In their first set of interroga-
tories, appellees asked Liberty Lobby to:
state whether plaintiff or any of
its officers or directors or their
spouses controls or ever has con-
trolled, in whole or in part,
directly or indirectly, formally or
informally, any aspect of the
business or publishing activities or
4 Mr. Robert LoBue is counsel of
record for Dow Jones in this action.
His affidavit, filed in support of
appellees' motion for summary judgment,
was used as a vehicle to summarize and
organize the documentary material upon
which appellees relied below.
-109-
operations or the editorial policy
or decision-making of The Noontide
Press.
Defendants' First Set of Interrogatories
to Plaintiff, E.N. 6, at 13 (filed
Dec. 26, 1984). In an answer sworn to
by Mr. Carto, the appellant responded in
the affirmative and went on to indicate
that Mr. Carto had acted in an “advisory
Capacity" to Noontide for the last
twenty years. Plaintiff's Answer to
Defendants' First Set of Interroga-
tories, E.N. 9, at 17 (filed Feb 28,
1985). In deposition testimony, Mr.
Carto admitted that he was the central
figure in the establishment of Noontide
Press and had chosen its name. Deposi-
tion of Willis A. Carto, E.N. 41, at
400-01 (filed Oct. 4, 1985) [hereinafter
"Carto Dep."]. Noontide's nominal
director, Mr. Thomas Marcellus, testi-
-110-
fied that Mr. Carto exercises consider-
able control over the selection of the
books that Noontide will publish. See
LoBue Aff. ¥Y 62 (quoting Deposition of
Thomas Marcellus at 116). In support of
their dispositive motion, appellees also
introduced the sworn testimony of Mr.
Robert M. Bartell, a member of Liberty
Lobby's Board of Policy until 1984. See
LoBue Aff. § 60. In this testimony,
given in an unrelated action involving
Liberty Lobby, Mr. Bartell described
Noontide's publishing activities as
follows:
a pamphlet or a book of some kind
was run through Liberty Lobby's
executive staff for reading, for
approval, for changes, for what-
ever.... And the finished copy is
then given back to Mr. Carto and it
goes back to California and is pub-
lished by Noontide Press, and this
has been going on for years and
years and years, then [Mr. Carto]
-lll-
doesn't have to say that I am
Noontide Press although we all know
he is.
Id. (quoting Deposition of Robert M.
Bartell at 46-47, filed in Mermelstein
v. Institute for Historical Review, No.
C 356 542 (Cal. Super. Ct.)).°
2Both Noontide Press and the
Institute for Historical Review ("IHR")
are trade names for an incorporated
entity known as The Legion for the Sur-
vival of Freedom, Inc. ("The Legion”).
In Mermelstein, the plaintiffs brought
Suit against Liberty Lobby, The Legion,
Noontide, the IHR and Mr. Carto, among
others. The suit was based upon the
IHR's offer of a $50,000 reward to any-
one who could prove that the Holocaust
had actually occurred. The offer
received extensive publicity in Liberty
Lobby's publications. See LoBue Aff. ¥¥f
218, 220. The Mermelstein plaintiffs
evidently submitted such proof and
claimed the reward. Upon the IHR‘s
refusal to honor its offer, the plain-
tiffs instituted an action for breach of
contract and intentional infliction of
emotional distress. See LoBue Aff.,
exh. 14 (transcript of proceedings in
Mermelstein v. Institute for Historical
Review, No. C 356 542 (July 22, 1985).
The case was settled with the de-
fendants, including Liberty Lobby,
-112-
Until a fire in 1984, Liberty Lobby
and The Noontide Press shared office
space in Torrance, California. See
Carto Dep. at 474. During the 1960's,
when the Pearson books were published,
Mr. Carto was a board member of The
Legion, the incorporated entity behind
Noontide Press. See Carto Dep. at
300-03. Mr. Bruce Hollman, a Liberty
Lobby director, also sat on The Legion's
board at the time of the publications at
issue. See id. at 301. At the same
time, Mr. Robert Kuttner, listed as a
contributing editor of Western Destiny,
was also a member of Liberty Lobby's
Board of Directors. Id. at 120. During
(footnote continued from preceding page)
agreeing to publish a formal apology and
to pay the plaintiffs $150,000 in
Gamages. See LoBue Aff., exh. 14, at
4-13.
-113-
this time, Roger Pearson was the editor
of Western Destiny, and Mr. Carto, under
the pseudonym “E.L. Anderson," as its
sole associate editor. See Plaintiff's
Answer to Defendants’ First Set of
Interrogatories, E.N. 9, at 15 (filed
Feb 28, 1985) (admitting that "E.L.
Anderson” is a pseudonym for Mr. Carto).
The Legion's application to do busi-
ness as Noontide Press is signed by Mrs.
Elizabeth Carto, Mr. Carto's wife, and a
Supervisor at Liberty Lobby. See LoBue
Aff. %46 (citing Deposition of Thomas
Marcellus, exh. 15). The application
also lists Bruce Hollman as one of
Noontide's principals, himself a Liberty
Lobby director. Id. Mr. Carto has
personally chosen the only two directors
of Noontide, and they received their
-114-
positions by contacting Liberty Lobby
through The Spotlight. LoBue Aff. WW
52-54. The record also indicates that
The Noontide Press advertises only in
Liberty Lobby's official organ, The
Spotlight. LoBue Aff. YF 76 (citing
Marcellus Deposition at 69-70). In
return, Liberty Lobby purchases almost
half of the books for its “Liberty
Library” from Noontide. See LoBue Aff.,
exh. 17. Appellees have also adduced
evidence that Liberty Lobby provides
substantial financial support to The
Legion and Noontide. See LoBue Aff.
G 77.
Upon this record, we have little
difficulty in concluding that both The
Journal's characterization of Noontide
as Liberty Lobby's “publishing arm" and
-115-
its statement that Liberty Lobby “pub-
lished" Western Destiny are substanti-
ally true.° Given the substantial
ties between Mr. Carto, Liberty Lobby
and Noontide, we are convinced that
Liberty Lobby could not demonstrate by a
fair preponderance of the evidence that
these statements are false.
In Tavoulareas v. Piro, 817 F.2d 762
(D.C. Cir.) (en banc), cert. denied, 108
S. Ct. 200 (1987), The Washington Post
ran a story charging that the President
of Mobile Oil Corp., William Tavoulare-
as, had “set up” his son Peter in a
60ther news organizations have
apparently reached this conclusion as
well. In reporting on the activities of
The Legion, j
referred to “the publishing arm of the
Carto operations known as Noontide
Press." Carto Dep., erh. 88; The Los
Angeles Times, May 3, 1981, at 12,
COk« Sx
\ nat
-116-
shipping company which did substantial
business with Mobil. Both father and
son sued in libel, claiming that the
“set-up” allegation was false and
defamatory. In fact, Atlas Shipping,
the company Peter Travoulareas was asso-
ciated with, dealt only with Samarco, a
Saudi/Mobil joint venture. 817 F.2d at
767-68. The Travoulareases claimed that
the article created the false and
defamatory impression that that there
was a “direct link” between Mobil and
Atlas. Id. at 787.
Reviewing the record, this court
found that Mobil'‘s and the elder
Tavoulareas‘ links with Atlas were sub-
stantial and palpable, although in no
way formalized. Mobil had recruited the
first head of Atlas Shipping, had pro-
vided it with ships and office space,
-117-
and had even supplied it with an interim
manager when its most senior executive
departed. Tavoulareas, 817 F2d at 787.
Under these circumstances, the court
held that “even if The Post article
failed to make clear the formal, cor-
porate relationship between Mobil,
Samarco, and Atlas ... the defendants
cannot in reason and in law be held
liable for accurately reporting the
direct link that undisputably did exist
between Mobil and Atlas.” Id.
We think the logic of Tavoulareas is
controlling here. Newspaper reporters
should not be required to convert the
results of investigative journalism into
a Standard & Poor'’s report on the
formalities of corporate structure. The
sting of the charge that Liberty Lobby
-118-
has approved of and assisted in the dis-
semination of Mr. Pearson's controver-
sial views and the Western Destiny maga-
zine, is substantially true. See
Restatement (Second) of Torts § 581A,
comment f (1977) ("It is not necessary
to establish the literal truth of the
precise statement made. Slight inac-
Curacies of expression are immaterial
provided that the defamatory charge is
true in substance."). Moreover, there
is evidence in this record that Mr.
Carto specifically designed the Liberty
Lobby/Legion/Noontide/IHR network so as
to divorce Liberty Lobby's name from
those of its less reputable affiliates.
See infra p. 18. It is Mr. Carto's
right to pour his political activities
into whatever corporate shell he
desires. What he may not do is silence
-119-
those who see through the form to the
reality.
ae
Even if a reasonable jury could find
that Jaroslovsky and his editors falsely
exaggerated Liberty Lobby's role in the
dissemination of the Pearson books and
Western Destiny, no jury could find that
they did so with knowledge of falsity or
reckless disregard for truth. After
over a year of discovery, Liberty Lobby
has not been able to adduce a scintilla
of evidence indicating that anyone
involved in the preparation of the
Pearson article entertained any doubt
about its veracity.
To the contrary, appellees' evidence
reveals that Jaroslovsky thoroughly
documented his story and relied upon
wholly reputable sources in drawing the
-120-
connection between Liberty Lobby and
Noontide's publishing activities. Among
Jaroslovsky's sources was a June 1980
issue of the Facts newsletter published
by the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai
B'rith ("ADL"). See Deposition of
Richard Jaroslovsky, E.N. 32 & 33,
exh. 45 (filed Aug. 6, 1985) [herein-
after “Jaroslovsky Dep."]' The Anti-
defamation League of B'nai B'rith, “The
Spotlight: Liberty Lobby's Voice of
Hate," Facts, vol. 26, No. 1 (June,
1980). Under the subtitle “Front for
Anti-Semitism,” the article states:
For almost a quarter century,
Liberty Lobby has served as a front
for Carto’s seamier operations and
activities. Among these have
been ... Western Destiny, a magazine
that published racist, Nazi-tinged
articles extolling the Nordic mys-
tique; and Noontide Press, publisher
of anti-Semitic, racist, and pro-
Nazi books....
-121-
Id. at 1. Later, the article refers to
Noontide as “a Carto-influenced from"
Id. at 4. Other ADL publications which
Jaroslovsky reviewed in preparing the
Pearson story referred to the “Carto
Network" and described Noontide and
Western Destiny as “Carto-run" and
“official partners” in the Liberty Lobby
conglomerate. See Jaroslovsky Dep.,
exh. 57; The Anti-Defamation League of
B'nai B'rith, Extremism on the Right--A
Handbook 25 (1983).
Jaroslovsky also relied upon an
article by C.H. Simonds, entitled "The
Strange Story of Willis Carto," which
appeared in the september 10, 1971 issue
of The National Review. Jaroslovsky
Dep., exh. 60; Simonds, “The Strange
Story of Willis Carto," The National
Review, Sept. 10, 1971, at 983 The
-122-
article flatly states that "(t]he sole
owner and proprietor of Noontide is
Willis Carto." Id. at 981. The article
chronicles Mr. Carto's attempts to dis-
tance himself and Liberty Lobby from The
Legion/Noontide network but concludes
that “[t]he most casual observer soon
detects a tight relationship among the
various components of Carto's empire.
The same names keep popping up on this
letterhead, that masthead or board; it's
a closed group, and only very rarely
will the name of an outsider appear."
Id. at 985.
During the composition of the story
Jaroslovsky also possessed a copy of the
masthead of Western Destiny, listing
"E.L. Anderson," a known Carto pseudo-
nym, as the sole associate editor. See
Jaroslovsky Dep., exhs. 48 & 49. He
-123-
also had obtained an advertisement pub-
lished in Western Destiny, listing two
Pearson books as available from Noontide
Press. Jaroslovsky Dep., exh. 56.
Finally, Jaroslovsky had a clipping from
the Nazi publication, White Power, which
advertised two of the Pearson works
published by Noontide. See Jaroslovsky
Dep., exh. 54.
We think The Wall Street Journal's
good faith reliance on previously pub-
lished reports in reputable sources of
Liberty Lobby's connections with Noon-
tide and Western Destiny precludes a
finding of actual malice as a matter of
law. See Rosanova v. Playboy Enter-
prises, Inc., 580 F.2d 859, 862 (5th
Cir. 1978) (“The subjective awareness of
probable falsity required by [St. Amant]
cannot be found where, as here, the
-124-
publisher's allegations are supported by
a multitude of previous reports upon
which the publisher reasonably relied.").
B.
We turn next to the charge of
anti-Semitism, leveled against Liberty
Lobby in the Jaroslovsky article and
reported as the subject of a lawsuit in
the Garment column. The district court
suggested that the term “anti-Semitic”
as used by Jaroslovsky is probably a
constitutionally protected statement of
Opinion. The court went on to say that
if “anti-Semitism" were regarded as an
“objectively verifiable fact,” it was
amply proved against Liberty Lobby in
this case. We are unwilling to say that
the term has no core meaning so that it
is an expression of opinion in any
sree
ow
-125-
context, and, as such, always consti-
tutionally protected. Like many words,
the term “anti-Semitic” has both
descriptive and normative content.
Compare, for example, the use of
“fascist” as a generic epithet, see
Buckley v. Littell, 539 F.2d 882 (2d
Cir. 1976), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 1062
(1977), with its use in such a statement
as “He was a cloSe companion of
Mussolini and a Fascist." We tend to
agree with the district court that if
the term “anti-Semitic’ has a core,
factual meaning, then the truth of the
description was proved here.”
7Since its inception, Liberty
Lobby has been an outspoken, often
vicious, critic of Jewish groups and
leaders, and of the United States'
domestic and foreign policy in regard to
Jewish issues. In a letter to sub-
scribers to The Spotlight, Liberty Lobby
characterized “political Zionism" as
"the most ruthless, wealthy powerful and
EES
~126-
We rest our decision, however, on
the fact that Liberty Lobby has adduced
no evidence tending to show the charge
of anti-Semitism was made with the
requisite actual malice. In preparing
(footnote continued from preceding page)
evil political force in the history of
the Western world." Carto Dep., exh. 4;
Letter from Willis A. Carto to sub-
scribers of The Spotlight at 5 (Jan. 2,
1985). The Spotlight has given exten-
Sive publicity to the fantastic claim
that the Holocaust, the extermination of
6,000,000 Jews by Nazi Germany, never
occurred. See LoBue Aff. YF 124, 154,
162, 190. A sampling of articles from
The Spotlight, reveals titles such as:
“Senator Commits Political Suicide by
Assailing Power of Israeli Lobby”;
“Jews' Favorite Candidate Slipping";
“Israel Dictates U.S. Policy"; “ADL
Plans Massive Brainwashing"; “Was There
Really a Holocaust'” and “Free Hess
Sentiment Growing." See id. ¥¥f
151-224. In all its public pronounce-
ments, Liberty Lobby has consistently
maintained the position that American
Jewry exerts a disproportionate in-
fluence cver all American institutions
to the detriment of what Liberty Lobby
believes are America's true interests.
a eee
-127-
his story, Jaroslovsky relied upon
various ADL publications, the Simonds
article in The National Review, as well
as the statements of the former general
counsel of Liberty Lobby which were
published in The Washington Star. See
Jaroslovsky Dep., exh. 45 (ADL publica-
tion in the Facts series referring to
Carto as “a long-time anti-Semite" and
Liberty Lobby as “a front for Anti-
Semitism."); id., exh. 64 (Washington
Star report of statement of Mr. Warren
Richardson, ex-General Counsel of
Liberty Lobby, “condemn[ing] unequivo-
cally the anti-Jewish, racist actions of
the Liberty Lobby and some of their
officers and employees.”").
The Journal's reliance on these and
other reputable sources would preclude
any finding or actual malice as a matter
iL
-128-
of law. See supra p. 19. In Liberty
Lobby v. Anderson, 746 F.2d 1563 (D.C.
Cir. 1984), rev'd on other grounds 106
S. Ct. 2505 (1986), Liberty Lobby and
Mr. Carto used the journalist Jack
Anderson and others for referring to Mr.
Carto as " the leading anti-Semite in
the country” and characterizing Liberty
Lobby as “anti-Semitic.” Id. In pre-
paring their story, Mr. Anderson's
reporters had relied upon various pub-
lished accounts of Liberty Lobby'‘s ac-
tivities, including the ADL publications
and The National Review article relied
upon by Jaroslovsky here. Even applying
the less stringent preponderance of the
evidence test, this court held that
reliance on these sources precluded a
jury from finding actual malice. Id.
Liberty Lobby was well aware of its
-129-
status as a public figure from the
outset of this litigation. Moreover,
this court's decision in the Anderson
case was issued two weeks before Liberty
Lobby filed its complaint in this
action. Yet, after a year of discovery
Liberty Lobby has produced no evidence
to indicate that Jaroslovsky or his
editors had any reason to doubt the same
sources relied upon in Anderson. The
district court's entry of summary judg-
ment for appellees was clearly warranted
on this ground alone.
Cc.
Count three of Liberty Lobby's
amended complaint seeks to attach lia-
bility to the Garment column's repeti-
tion of the charge of anti-semitism and
the publishing statements in referring
tenia
-130-
to this lawsuit. Our prior determina-
tion that the publishing statements are
substantially true would seem to pre-
clude liability for their repetition.
It is conceivable that liability could
attach to the Garment column's repeti-
tion of the charge of anti-Semitism if
it could be shown that the statement was
false and was repeated with knowledge of
falsity or reckless disregard of truth.
However, we think the Garment column's
discussion of a pending lawsuit is
privileged as a fair and accurate
description of a judicial proceeding
under both the common law of the Dis-
trict of Columbia and the Constitution.
The Garment column states, “[s]till
pending is a Liberty Lobby suit against
The Wall Street Journal, which last year
called Liberty Lobby ‘anti-Semitic’ and
-131-
reported that it had published various
tracts by a promoter of racial better-
ment through genetic selection."
App. B, infra, p. 37. The common law of
libel has long held that one who repub-
lishes a defamatory statement “adopts”
it as his own, and is liable in equal
measure to the original defamer. See
Dameron v. Washington Magazine, Inc.,
779 F.2d 736, 739 (D.C. Cir. 1985),
denied, 106 S. Ct. 2247 (1986);
cert.
see also W. Keeton, D. Dobbs, R. Keeton
& D. Owen, Prosser and Keeton on the Law
of Torts 799 (5th ed. 1984) (“Every
repetition of the defamation is a publi-
cation in itself, even though the
repeater states the source ... or makes
clear that he himself does not believe
the imputation.") (footnotes omitted).
es
-132-
To ameliorate the chilling effect
that the republication rule would have
on the reporting of controversial
matters of public interest, common law
courts, including those of the District
of Columbia, recognize a privilege for
fair and accurate accounts of govern-
mental proceedings. See Phillips v.
Evening Star Newspaper Co., 424 A.2d 78,
88-90 (D.C. 1980), cert. denied, 451
U.S. 989 (1981). Following the Restate-
ment, the District of Columbia common
law abandons the concept of “adoption”
where a report of an official proceeding
is "(a) accurate and complete, or a fair
abridgment of what has occurred, and (b)
published for the purpose of informing
the public as to a matter of public
concern." Phillips, 424 A.2d at 88
-133-
(quoting Restatement (Second) of Torts §
611 (1977)).
Federal constitutional concerns are
implicated as well when common law lia-
bility is asserted against a defendant
for an accurate account of judicial
proceedings. In Cox Broadcasting Co. v.
Cohn, 420 U.S. 469 (1975), the father of
a deceased rape victim brought suit for
common law invasion of privacy against a
television station which mentioned his
minor daughter's name in conjunction
with its report on the trial of those
Charged with the crime. The station's
reporter had obtained the victim's name
by attending the trial and inspecting
the indictments in the case. Id. at
470. The Georgia Supreme Court rejected
the television station's first amendment
-~134-
defense, holding that the father was
entitled to take his claim to a jury.
The Supreme Court reversed, noting
that, “[w]with respect to judicial pro-
ceedings in particular, the function of
the press serves to guarantee the fair-
ness of trials and to bring to bear the
beneficial effects of public scrutiny
upon the administration of justice.”
Cox, 420 U.S. at 492. See also Craig v.
Harney, 331 U.S. 367, 374 (1947) ("A
trial is a public event. What trans-
pires in a courtroom is public proper-
ty.... Those who see and hear what
transpired can report it with im-
punity.”"). The Supreme Court held that
Mr. Cohn's suit was barred as a matter
of law, stating, “the First and Four-
teenth Amendments command nothing less
beeen iaaeieeaeaaealle
-135-
than that the states may not impose
sanctions on the publication of truthful
information contained in official court
records open to public inspection."
Cox, 420 U.S. at 495. See also Time,
Inc. v. Firestone, 425 U.S. 448, 457
(1976) (“The public interest in accurate
reports of judicial proceedings is
substantially protected by Cox....").
The Garment column's report on this
lawsuit is privileged both under the
common law and the Supreme Court's
decision in Cox. It fairly and accur-
ately describes the substance of this
action, in the context of a broader
discussion of libel suits in general,
Clearly a matter of public concern. See
Landmark Communications, Inc. v. Vir-
gGinia, 435 U.S. 829 &39 (1978) ("The
-136-
operations of the courts and the judi-
cial conduct of judges are matters of
utmost public concern."). Indeed, since
libel suits are government proceedings
which by definition involve material
that is allegedly false and defamatory,
no meaningful discussion of such suits
would be possible unless such reports
were privileged. The district court's
dismissal of this count on the pleadings
was Clearly appropriate.
D.
The Garment column's discussion of
The National Review trial is similarly
protected. To the extent that it con-
stitutes a factual report on Liberty
Lobby's opening argument in The National
Review trial, the Garment column is
privileged as an accurate report of a
government proceeding. See supra pp.
ee |
~139-.
22-24. It is undisputed that Ms.
Garment attended the opening day of the
trial and used the official transcript
of that proceeding in the preparation of
her column. Where the column quotes or
Summarizes Mr. Lane's opening argument,
comparison with the official transcript
reveals that it does so with complete
accuracy. Mr. Lane did indeed "“ex-
plain[{ ] how The National Review had
tried to bring down great black men" and
he did compare the writings of Mr.
Buckley to the words of Adolf Hitler.
see LoBue Aff., exh. 71 (Transcript of
Proceedings in Liberty Lobby v. National
Review, Inc., No. 79-3445, at 150-82) .°
80n a motion for judgment on the
pleadings, the district court was
entitled to take judicial notice of the
record in The National Review case to
determine that the Garment column's
Summary of those proceedings was fair
, =
-138-
No extended analysis is necessary to
conclude that the remainder of the Gar-
ment column is constitutionally pro-
tected opinion under Ollman. The column
appeared on the editorial page of The
Journal, and is shot through with the
language of personal opinion. The
column characterizes Mr. Lane's argument
as “crude,” “ugly,” “pernicious” and
“breathtaking in its daring.” These are
Clearly statements of opinion dependent
upon personal perspective: what is
crude and ugly appeal to some, may be
forthright and vigorous advocacy to
others. See Greenbelt Coop. Publishing
(footnote continued from preceding page.)
and accurate. See Shuttleworth v, City
of Birmingham, 394 U.S. 147, 157 (1969);
Dixon v. Jacobs, 427 F.2d 589, 596 (D.C.
Cir. 1970) ("It is clear to us that the
district court was entitled to take
judicial notice of its own records.").
-139-
Ass's v. Bressler, 398 U.S. 6, 14 (1970)
(characterization of real estate de-
veloper's vigorous negotiation strategy
at town meeting as blackmail” held
constitutionally protected opinion).
Statements of this type are simply
not amenable to disproof. Whether or
not Mr. Lane in front of a jury “gener-
ates a distinct shiver” is a subjective
impression, and as such inherently
unverifiable. See Franklin & Bussell,
The Plaintiff's Burden in Defamation:
Awareness and Falsity, 25 Wm. & Mary L.
Rev. 825, 869 (1984) ("[E]valuative
Statements of taste and belief can never
provide the basis for a defamation suit
because such statements are incapable of
being proved false.").
On appeal, Liberty Lobby contends
that several alleged factual errors in
-140-
the Garment column strip it of the
constitutional protection otherwise
accorded to statements of opinion. See
Brief of Liberty Lobby at 29-33. Appel-
lant argues that the “black lawyer”
placed at its counsel table by the Gar-
ment column, although a law school
graduate, was not a member of the bar.
Id. at 33. It further contends that The
National Review exercised its preemptory
challenges to assure an all black jury
at trial because it intended to put on
favorable testimony from black wit-
nesses. Id. Thus, the Garment column's
“implication” that Liberty Lobby chose a
black lawyer and a black jury to further
its trial strategy is, in Liberty
Lobby's view, false. Relying on the
concurring opinion of one judge in the
Original panel disposition of the Qllman
-141-
case, see Ollman v. Evans, 713 F.2d 838,
848-49 (D.C. Cir.) (Robinson, C.J.,
concurring). vacated and reh'g en banc
granted, 713 F.2d 838 (1983), Liberty
Lobby argues that the Garment column's
failure to fully and accurately disclose
the underlying facts of The National
Review trial precludes it from claiming
the status of protected opinion. See
Brief of Liberty Lobby at 28.
As both a legal and factual matter,
Liberty Lobby's argument is utterly
devoid of merit. First, the opinion
upon which Liberty Lobby relies was
vacated and became a dissenting position
held by only one judge in the final
disposition of the Ollman case. See
Ollman, 750 F.2d at 1016 (Robinson, J.,
dissenting). Appellant's characteriza-
tion of this position as the holding of
=
-142-
this court is preposterous. The
majority of the court read Gertz “to
provide absolute immunity from defama-
tion actions for all opinions.” Ollman,
750 F.2d at 974. While the stated facts
underlying an opinion may support a
libel action if they are themselves
false and defamatory, an opinion itself
never can.
Second, the alleged inaccuracies
here are either minor in the extreme or
nonexistent. That the black woman at
Liberty Lobby'‘s counsel table was a law
school graduate but not a member of the
bar is immaterial. Referring to her as
a lawyer is not of itself defamatory,
and is, in any event, substantially
true. Moreover, the Garment column does
not state that Liberty Lobby selected an
all black jury. The article stated that
-143-
an all black jury “is not uncommon in
the District"; it did not implicitly or
explicitly attribute the composition of
the jury to either party. The district
court was clearly correct in holding
that the bulk of the Garment column is
constitutionally protected under
Ollman. Since opinions are nonaction-
able as a matter of law, dismissal on
the pleadings of counts three, four, and
five of Liberty Lobby's amended com-
plaint was appropriate.
Bade
On appeal, Liberty Lobby raises
several issues collateral to the merits
of its libel action. First, appellant
asserts that the district court judge
erred in failing to recuse himself after
counsel for Liberty Lobby made two oral
motions for his disqualification. See
—————eee
-144-
Brief of Liberty Lobby at 9-12. These
motions were based upon the district
court's decision not to allow Liberty
Lobby to further depose Ms. Garment.
Id. at 9-10. Second, Liberty Lobby asks
us to pass on a third written motion for
the recusal of the district court
judge. Id. at 10. This motion was
filed after the district court granted
appellees’ dispositive motion, and has
not been passed upon by the district
court judge. Finally, Liberty Lobby
claims that the district court's dis-
covery rulings precluded it from de-
veloping evidence of actual malice on
the part of Ms. Garment, and prevented
it from discovering who actually
authored the Garment column's reference
to the Jaroslovsky article. Id. at
-145-
12-18. These claims need detain us only
briefly.
The only ruling of the district
court on the question of disqualifica-
tion was in response to an oral motion
by appellant's counsel apparently based
on the district court judge's decision
to deny appellants’ second motion to
compel further testimony from Ms.
Garment. See Transcript of Proceedings
taken on Feb. 27, 1986, E.N. 83 (filed
Mar. 6, 1986). The motion was based
entirely upon the trial judge's rulings
from the bench on Giscovery issues. It
is well settled that a motion for
recusal under 28 U.S.C. § 144 or § 455
(1982), must be based upon prejudice
from an extra-judicial source. See
United States v, Heldt, 668 F.2d 1238,
1272 & n.71 (D.C. Cir. 1981), cert.
-146-
enied, 456 U.S. 926 (1982). As we
Qu
stated in United States v. Haldeman, 559
F.24 31, 133 (B.C. Cie. 1976) Con Banc),
ert. denied, 431 U.S. 933 (1977),
"[t]he attitude for which section 144
mandates recusal is not indicated by
prior judicial rulings, or in-court
comments prompted by developments in the
case or prior legal proceedings, or the
exercise of related judicial functions.”
(footnote ommitted). Since Liberty
Lobby's two in-court motions were based
entirely upon the district court's dis-
covery rulings in this case, their
denial was clearly proper.
Appellant's written motion for
recusal was filed over two months after
the district court issued its ruling on
the merits and some six weeks after
appellant filed its notice of appeal in
~147-
this court. See Plaintiff's Motion for
Disqualification. E.N. 110 (filed
Sept. 25, 1986). The district court
presently has before it this recusal
motion and a motion for sanctions filed
by appellees. See Motion of Defendants
for Sanctions, E.N. 96 (filed July 28,
1986). Pursuant to Liberty Lobby's
request, the district court has stayed
all action on defendants’ request for
Sanctions pending disposition of this
appeal. See Order Staying Proceedings,
E.N. 111 (filed Sept. 24, 1986).
Under these circumstances, we do not
think that appellant's written motion
for recusal of the district court judge
is properly before us at this time.
Recusal is a highly personal decision.
The judge must assess the truth of the
facts alleged and determine if they
—_— RENT ——————E—EE———==~*~ ——E = ————EO Ee
-148-
would impeach his impartiality or
appearance of impartiality. See Heldt,
668 F.2d at 1271-72. This is not a
decision that an appellate panel may
make for a district court judge in the
first instance. A motion for recusal
based upon the appearance of impropriety
can have only prospective effect. See
United States v. Murphy, 768 F.2d 1518,
1539 (7th Cir. 1985), cert. denied, 475
U.S. 1012 (1986). Orders entered prior
to the recusal motion are unaffected by
its disposition, absent a showing of
actual bias. See Murphy, 768 F.2d at
1539 ("Our research has not turned up
any case involving mere appearance of
impropriety in which the court has set
aside decisions that had been taken by
the district judge before any party
asked for recusal."). Accord Mims v.
ey Ter
SA ET YO PONY “IY Payee WET
-149-
Shapp, 541 F.2d 415, 417 (3d Cir.
1976). Thus, appellant's motion can in
no way affect the district court's judg-
ment in this action or our holding on
appeal. It is for the district court
judge to decide as an initial matter
whether he will rule on appellee's
motion for sanctions or step aside in
favor of another judge.
Liberty Lobby also argues that the
district court erred in refusing to
compel further deposition testimony by
Ms. Garment. Specifically, appellant
alleges that it was improperly denied
additional discovery which would have
uncovered evidence of Ms. Garment's
actual malice in publishing her account
of The National Review trial. The short
answer to this contention is that evi-
dence of actual malice is irrelevant to
=
-150-
the issues upon which the district court
granted appellees' motion for judgment
on the pleadings. The district court
held that the defamatory portions of the
Garment column were constitutionally
protected opinion. See Liberty Lobby,
Inc. v. Dow Jones & Co., 638 F. Supp.
1149, 1154 (D.D.C. 1986). We have
affirmed that ruling on appeal. See
supra pp. 25-27. Opinions are nonac-
tionable as a matter of law. See supra
p.26. Indeed, the concepts of knowledge
of falsity or reckless disregard of
truth cannot even sensibly be applied to
an expression of personal belief.
Moreover, the record reveals that
the appellant deposed Ms. Garment for
some fifteen hours over the course of
three days. See Deposition of
Suzanne R. Garment, E.N. 87, 88& & 89
-151-
(filed Mar. 12, 1986) [hereinafter
"Garment Dep."]. Much of the question-
ing wandered extremely far afield. Ms.
Garment was asked about her views on the
“suffering of the Palestinian people,”
the massacres at Sabra and Shatila, and
a host of other political subjects not
shown to be even tangentially relevant
to this action. See hitneint Dep. at
553-649. Under these circumstances, the
district court clearly did not abuse its
discretion in cutting off further dis-
covery.
Appellant also contends that the
district court's discovery rulings
prevented it from establishing who
exactly was the author of the Garment
column's reference to this action. See
Brief of Liberty Lobby at 21-26.
Because the identity of the author was
-152-
thus “concealed” from it, appellant was
denied the opportunity to establish
actual malice on the author's part. Id.
at 2a.
This contention is wholly devoid of
merit. First, we have held that the
Garment column's reference to this
action is absolutely privileged as an
accurate report of a judicial proceed-
ing. The mental state of its author is
irrelevant to this issue. Second, the
record reveals that this portion of the
Garment column was revised by Mr.
Melloan, an editor at The Journal, in
consultation with libel counsel. See
Garment Dep. at 357-60. The trial
court's refusal to allow further inquiry
in this area had nothing to do with
authorship. Rather the court held that
-153-
discussions between Mr. Melloan and Dow
Jones* counsel were protected by the
attorney-client privilege. See Trans-
Ccript of Proceedings taken on Feb. 27,
1986, E.N. 83, at 8-10 (filed Mar. 6,
1986).
In Upjohn Co. v. United States, 449
U.S. 383 (1981), the Supreme Court held
that communications between corporate
counsel and a corporation's employees
made for the purpose of rendering legal
advice are protected by the attorney-
client privilege. Such discussions are
shielded from discovery in order to
assure "full and frank legal advice to
the employees who will put into effect
the client corporation's policy." Id.
at 392. Pre-publication discussions
between libel counsel ance editors or
-154-
reporters would seem to come squarely
with the scope of the privilege as
defined in Upjohn. See Dowd v.
Calabrese, 589 F. Supp. 1206, 1215 n.37
(D.D.C 1984) (discussions between editor
and libel counsel protected by attorney-
client privilege); Davis v. Costa-
Gavras, 580, F. Supp. 1082, 1098-99
(S.D.N.Y. 1984) (discussion with at-
torney at pre-release libel review of
film held protected by attorney-client
privilege). The basis for the privilege
was adequately established in the record
and the appellant has made no showing
that facts known to Dow Jones' libel
counsel could not be ascertained from
other witnesses. Under these circum-
stances, the district court's ruling
will be affirmed.
a ©
-155-
IV.
This suit epitomizes one of the most
troubling aspects of modern libel liti-
gation: the use of the libel cémplaint
as a weapon to harass.” Despite the
9Liberty Lobby has brought a
number of libel suits against media
defendants that have characterized it as
racially prejudiced or anti-Semitic.
See, e.g., Dall v. Pearson, 246 F. Supp.
812 (D.D.C 1963), aff'd, C.A. No. 18,
414 (D.C. Cit. Get. 2a, 1966); Oe.
denied, 380 U.S. 965 (1965) (libel suit
based on columnist's statements that
Liberty Lobby's congressional testimony
was an "anti-Semitic diatribe" and “an
attack on the Jews"); Liberty Lobby,
Inc. v. Anderson, 562 F. Supp. 201
(D.D.C. 1983), aff'd in part, rev'd in
Part, 746 F.2d 1563 (D.C. Cir. 1984)
rev'd in part, 106 S. Ct. 2505 (1986)
(libel suit based upon magazine's state-
ments that Liberty Lobby was “anti-
Semitic" and ‘infiltrated by Nazis");
Liberty Lobby, Inc. v. National Review,
Inc., No. 79-3445, (D.C. Apr. 20, 1982)
(libel action bhased on The National
Review's characterization of Liberty
Lobby as "a hotbed of anti-Semitism");
Liberty Lobby, Inc. v. Rees, No.
84-3452, (D.D.C. April. 20, 1982) (libel
action based on characterization of
-156-
patent insufficiency of a number of
appellant's claims, it has managed to
embroil a media defendant in over three
years of costly and contentious litiga-
tion. The message to this defendant and
the press at large is clear: discussion
of Liberty Lobby is expensive. However
well-documented a story, however unim-
peachable a reporter‘’s source, he or she
will have to think twice about publish-
ing where litigation, even to a success-
ful motion for summary judgment, can be
very expensive if not crippling.
(footnote continued from preceding page)
Liberty Lobby as racist and anti-
Semitic); Carto v. Buckley, 649 F. Supp.
502 (S.D.N.¥. 1986) (libel action based
on charge that the “distinctive feature”
ot Liberty Lobby publication, The
j , is “racial and religious
bigotry”). None of these suits has been
successful and in no instance has
Liberty Lobby been allowed to present
its claims to a jury.
-157-
We have conducted an independent
review of the record in this case, and
have found that each of appellant's
Claims is clearly warred on several
common law and constitutional grounds.
The district court's judgment dismissing
all of Liberty Lobby’s claims with
prejudice is
Affirmed.
-158-
Appendix A
Controversial Publisher
RACIAL PURIST USES REAGAN PUB
By Rich Jaroslovsky
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
WASHINGTON--Roger Pearson, a pub-
lisher of politically conservative
academic journals here, has something
other publishers would envy: a glowing
letter of praise from Ronald Reagan.
Plenty of well-known conservatives
have written for Mr. Pearson's publica-
tions, but his kudos from the most
famous conservative of all stands out.
Mr. Pearson has used reproductions of
the 1982 Reagan letter--praising “your
substantial contributions to promoting
and upholding those ideas and principles
we value at home and abroad”“--in bulk
-159-
mailings to solicit sales and subscrip-
tions.
Those who have received copies of
the presidential letter might be sur-
prised to learn that Mr. Pearson, a
British-born anthropologist, has spent
much of his career advancing the theory
that the “purity” of the white race is
endangered by “inferior” genetic stock.
He has warned that people of European
descent may be “annihilated as a
species” unless they act to preserve
their “racial identity,” and he cur-
rently receives funds from a controver-
Sial foundation dedicated to “racial
betterment.”
The 57-year-old Mr. Pearson even
draws harsh attacks from other elements
of the hard right, members of which fear
he may discredit their goals. He
-160-
resigned from the World Anti-Communist
League, a federation he once headed,
after some of its chapters charged that
he encouraged the membership of European
and Latin American groups with Nazi or
neo-Nazi ties. Former Maj. Gen. John
Singlaub, who now heads the league's
U.S. affiliate, calls Mr. Pearson an
“embarrassment” who is “not at all wel-
come in any activity” of the group.
“The White House ought to repudiate
this bird,” says Justin Finger, civil-
rights director of the Anti-Defamation
League of B'nai B'rith, the Jewish
Organization. Mr. Finder complained to
the White House when he learned of the
letter this summer, but he says he
hasn't received any response.
-161-
Composed by Pearson Associate
Though the letter bore Mr. Reagan's
Signature, it was actually composed by a
Person associate who had joined the
White House staff. There isn't any
evidence that the president knows Mr.
Pearson, and Mr. Reagan's public state-
ments on race don't bear any resemblance
to Mr. Pearson's writings. But the
incident shows how a highly ideological
presidency--conservative or liberal--can
be used by well-connected outside ac-
tivities to gain respectability.
What's more, the White House isn't
disavowing the letter, or repudiating
Mr. Pearson, though it wants him to stop
using the letter to sell subscriptions
to two journals he currently publishes,
The Mankind Quarterly and The Journal of
Social, Political and Economic Studies.
’
-162-
Anson Franklin, an assistant presiden-
tial press secretary, says: "“The presi-
dent has long-neld views opposing racial
discrimination in any form, and he would
never condone anything to the contrary.
But that's a general statement; I'm not
addressing Dr. Pearson specifically.”
The White House says the letter was
written after Mr. Pearson sent to the
president a copy of one of his journals
that didn't espouse his controversial
racial views. Not all such gifts are
answered so glowingly, but in this case
Mr. Pearson had a champion in Robert
Schuettinger, then a mid-level White
House official and currently in the
Defense Department.
Mr. Schuettinger says he has known
Mr. Pearson for several years and is on
the editorial board of one of Mr.
Pearson's publications. He concedes he
wasn't aware of all of Mr. Pearson's
past activities but says "there was
absolutely no valid grounds to accuse
him of racism," though Mr. Pearson may
have been “a Littell naive" in his asso-
Ciations.
In two lengthy interviews, the
affable Mr. Pearson largely refuses to
comment on the record about his activi-
ties, though he doesn't dispute the
central elements of this account of
them. But he insists, "I'm not ashamed
of anything I've said or written."
‘Breeding Ideal Types'
Among those writings is an old
article calling for the use of artifi-
Cial insemination to preserve “pure
healthy stock" and allow "breeding back
the ‘ideal’ types." The 1958 article,
-164-
in a magazine Mr. Pearson founded called
Northern World, also warned of a “ter-
rible outcome" should such a program of
genetic selection "fall into the hands
of the cosmopolites or one-worlders, or
any who wish to see our race and our
heritage destroyed."
Other Pearson writings appeared in
Western Destiny, a magazine published by
the far right, anti-Semitic Liberty
Lobby. Mr. Pearson edited Western
Destiny briefly in the mid-1960s and
wrote several books on race and eugenics
that were issued by Liberty Lobby's
publishing arm. These pamphlets are
still sold by the National Socialist
White People's Party, the Ariington,
Va.-based American Nazi group; Mr.
Pearson says he doesn't have any connec-
tion with that group.
aan
After breaking with Liberty Lobby
Leader Willis Carto in a personal dis-
pute, Mr. Pearson began moving more into
the conservative mainstream, holding
academic posts at several small colleges
and authorizing [sic] an anthropology
textbook. In 1977, he was on the
Original board of editors of Policy
Review, a journal published by the Heri-
tage Foundation, a mainstream conserva-
tive think tank. Knowledgeable sources
Say he was asked to resign when Heritage
officials learned of his background.
Mr. Pearson currently runs a tax-
exempt organization called the Council
on Social and Economic Studies out of a
three-room suite in a downtown Washing-
ton apartment building. Besides his
publishing income, he acknowledges that
he also receives money from the Pioneer
-166-
Fund, a controversial New York-based
trust fund dedicated to “racial better-
ment." The fund also has supported the
work of psychologist Arthur Jensen and
physicist William Shockley, who hold
views on race and heridity similar to
Mr. Pearson's.
Mr. Pearson's current publications,
which generally play down his racial
views, boast contributions from some
eminently respectable conservative
political figures. Spokesmen for
several of Mr. Pearson's contributors
Say they weren't aware of his background
when they submitted articles.
"Generally, conservatives are so
concerned with conspiracies on the left
that they don't realize when they may be
part of a conspiracy on the right,”
asserts John Rees, a contributing editor
—= tt ;t:t*~=“SCC
-167-
of the John Birch Society's magazine and
a harsh critic of Mr. Pearson.
-168-
Appendix B
THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A LIBEL TRIAL
FOR AN EDUCATION
Capital Chronicle
By Suzanne Garment
Behind a lectern in a Washington,
D.C., courtroom this week stood Mark
Lane, lawyer to controversial causes of
right and left, making his opening
statement. He paused for emphasis
before hitting the jury with his central
thesis: “National Review, since its
inception, has been a racist, pro-Nazi,
pro-fascist publication.”
National Review is the conservative
magazine edited by William F. Buckley
Jr. Was Mr. Lane making his charge on
behalf of some aggrieved liberal--a
a
-169-
maligned arms-control enthusiast, per-
haps, or some annoyed chapter of the
American Civil Liberties Union? No,
Mr. Lane's Client is the Liberty Lobby,
who leader Willis Carto once promoted a
Joint Council for Repatriation to help
Blacks to go back to Africa. The
resulting legal contest is bizarre, but
also instructive.
Over the years, Liberty Lobby and
Mr. Carto have sued a number of pub-
lishers that called them racist and
anti-Semitic. Still pending is a
Liberty Lobby suit against The Wall
Street Journal, which last year called
Liberty Lobby “anti-Semitic” and
reported that it had published various
tracts by a promoter of racial better-
ment through genetic selection. Liberty
Lobby brought one of these results
-170-
against National Review and lost. Now a
judge and jury are hearing the trial of
the counterclaim.
The look of the courtroom on the
trial’'s opening day gave notice that
this was not an ordinary proceeding.
True, over at National Review's table
there sat a conventional bunch, Mr.
Buckley and his lawyers. Across the
room with Mr. Carto were the bearded
Mr. Lane in friendly navy blazer and
gray slacks, a young female paralegal
with the kind of nose that suggests the
presence of a trust fund, and a young,
good-looking black female lawyer in a
high-collared blouse. The moment the
jury filed in--all black, as is not
uncommon in the District--you began to
suspect that Mr. Lane might have some-
thing in mind.
-171-
He opened with a well-known quote
from Iago in Shakespeare's “Othello”:
“He who filches from me my good name
robs me of that which enriches not him
but makes me poor indeed."
Then Mr. Lane picked up speed.
“Iago was an interesting character,” he
instructed his jury. “What he did was
to bring down a great black man named
Othello because he was black.” “The
analogy,” he said, “continues in this
case.”
Mr. Lane explained how National
Review had tried to bring down great
black men. He gave a critique of the
magazines’ position on Adam Clayton
Powell Jr. He condemned its attitude
toward Martin Luther King Jr. He built
to a peroration: “If you read the words
of Adolf Hitler regarding superior races
-172-
and advanced races and inferior races,
you will have difficulty separating the
words of Mr. Buckley in his editorials
in the National Review from the words of
Adolf Hitler."
Mr. Lane's theme was ironic in more
than the obvious ways. Today's American
conservatism does indeed have part of
its roots in a seedbed infested with
racism, chauvinism and paranoid looni-
ness. When National Review was found in
the mid-1950s, the right‘s presence on
the U.S. political state was small and
fading; conservatism seemed fatally tied
to this pernicious kookiness.
From time to time in National Review
you can still hear an echo of the
right's more distasteful origins. The
sound fades as time passes because over
a
-173-
the years Mr. Buckley and his associ-
ates, with National Review as a rallying
place, pried conservatism loose from the
fingers of its more demented followers.
Some people would claim that these
“respectable conservatives" have only
managed to put an acceptable mask over
what remains an illegitimate set of
views. Willis Carto, for his part,
Clearly thinks the National Review bunch
profoundly changed the character of the
American right. That is presumably why
he is at permanent war with it.
So we see the Liberty Lobby standing
up in court and calling Mr. Buckley
racist, most likely calculating that
black jurors will be too hypnotized by
this possibility to consider other facts
important. This is not just an ordinary
lawyer's trick. This is breathtaking in
«i t4-
its daring. Most of us would be embar-
rassed to appeal to a racial or religi-
ous minority audience so crudely. We
know the Fair Play Patrol would at once
swoop down and cart us away. But the
Carto team is of sterner stuff, able to
put its head down and go for broke.
It gets you thinking about libel
suits in general and their place in
democratic politics. They are in vogue
now, especially as a way to fight the
press. Without a doubt current jour-
nalistic habits deserve some fighting
against. Still, these suits attacking
pernicious speech generate their own
share of pernicious speech. Trials held
to fight destructive ugliness in
American public life provide their own
arena in which the parties can make ugly
appeals. Highly public events like a
-175-
blazing newspaper headline, or Louis
Farrakhan wowing them at Madison Square
Garden, can be a grim sight. But
believe me, Mark Lane in from of the
Jury also generates a distinct shiver.
Democracies keep searching for the
rules and procedures that will keep
their violent and excessively partisan
tendencies surely in check. There
aren't any. Each new device will prove
vulnerable to abuse in its turn. The
only real defense lies in imprecise
areas like education and culture, where
matters are never settled and battles
never won.
When you catch a glimpse of the muck
lying in pockets just under our politi-
cal surface, you are reminded of how
lucky we've been. Next time I walk
~176-
through those courtroom doors I will
knock wood.
-177-
APPENDIX G
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia Circuit
No. 86-7017
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Appellant
Vv.
Dow Jones & Company, Inc., et al.
Before: Bork, Circuit Judge
ORDER
Upon consideration of Appellant's
Motion for disqualification of Judge
Bork pursuant to Title 28 Section 455
United States Code, it is
ORDERED, by the Court, that
Appellant's aforesaid motion is denied
~178-
for the reasons set forth in the at-
tached memorandum.
Per Curiam
For the Court:
George A. Fisher, Clerk
BY:
Patricia L. Chatman
Deputy Clerk
FILED DEC 7, 1987
No. 86-7017 -- Liberty Lobby, Inc. v.
Dow Jones & Co., Inc,
MEMORANDUM
In this appeal, Liberty Lobby chal-
lenges the district court's dismissal of
its action for defamation against
defendants Dow Jones & Co., Inc. and
Rich Jaroslovsky. See Liberty Lobby,
Inc. v. Dow Jones & Co., Inc., 638 F.
Supp. 1149 (D.D.C. 1986). The suit
-179-
arises from two articles which appeared
in The Wall Street Journal, a daily
newspaper published by Dow Jones & Co.
The first piece was authored by defen-
dant Rich Jaroslovsky. The second
article was authored by Ms. Suzanne
Garment. Ms. Garment is not a party to
this action, and is not presently em-
ployed by Dow Jones & Co. or The Wall
Street Journal. There is evidence in
the record indicating that Ms. Garment
may have discussed her intention to
write a column concerning Liberty Lobby
with her husband, Leonard Garment.
However, there is no evidence that Mr.
Garment played any role in the composi-
tion of Ms. Garment's column.
Based upon these facts, appellant
Liberty Lobby has moved for my recusal
from this appeal for two reasons.
-180-
First, appellant asserts that the
Garments were active supporters of my
nomination to be an Associate Justice of
the United States Supreme Court.
Second, appellant contends that the
Garments and I are close personal
friends. Under these circumstances,
appellant concludes that my impartiality
might reasonably be questioned, and thus
recusal is mandated under 28 U.S.C.
§ 455 (1982). After careful considera-
tion of appellant's filings, I have con-
cluded that my recusal from this matter
is unwarranted.
It.
I have no connection, financial or
otherwise, with any of the named parties
in this proceeding. The basis for
appellant's motion is that two
individuals, one of whom is only
-181-
tangentially involved with this lawsuit,
were active supporters of my nomination
to be an Associate Justice of the United
States Supreme Court. Appellant con-
tends that these two individuals,
Suzanne and Leonard Garment, “were
apparently the two most active persons
in the United States in support of Judge
Bork's nomination...." Appellant's
Motion for Disqualification at 2.
Appellant also alleges that Leonard
Garment acted as my “unofficial spokes-
person" during the confirmation process
and that "it was widely reported in the
press” that both Mr. and Ms. Garment
authored numerous documents in support
of my nomination. Id. at 2. Appellant
further contends that Mr. and Ms.
Garment have “held themselves out to be
close friends and associates of Judge
-182-
Bork." Id. According to appellant,
these alleged facts render this action a
“proceeding in which [my] impartiality
might reasonably be questioned,” thus
mandating recusal. 28 U.S.C. § 455(a)
(1982).
IIl.
It is well-settled that a judge
faced with a recusal motion under
section 455 must evaluate the truth or
falsity of the allegations set forth in
the motion for disqualification. See
United States v. Heldt, 668 F.2d 1238,
1271 (D.C. Cir. 1981). In this case,
the contention that Mr. Garment was my
spokesperson or agent, officially or
unofficiallv, is untrue. Mr. Garment’'s
actions in support of my nomination were
not in any way coordinated with or
endorsed by me. Mr. Garment played no
-183-
role in my preparation for the hearings
Or in any of my subsequent activities
connected with the confirmation process.
Many groups and individuals took
strong public positions for or against
my confirmation. Were I to recuse
myself every time an individual or group
who had supported or opposed my con-
firmation was connected with a lawsuit,
however tangentially, I would, in my
Opinion, be failing in my judicial duty
and be of greatly diminished usefulness
to this court and the litigants it
serves. Cf. Code of Judicial Conduct
for United States Judges, Canon 3A(1)
("A judge should be unswayed by partisan
interest, public clamor, or fear of
Criticism.”). For these reasons, I
believe that recusal cn the grounds that
Mr. and Ms. Garment were supporters of
-184-
my nomination would be wholly unwar-
ranted.
Appellant‘s motion also suggests
that Mr. and Ms. Garment and I are close
personal friends. Mr. Garment is a
well-known lawyer in Washington. We
served in the same administration some
years ago, and we meet occasionally at
social functions. Under Canon 13 of the
ABA Canons of Judicial Ethics recusal is
mandatory where “a near relative is a
party.” The Advisory Committee on
Judicial Activities has suggested that
as far as friendships are concerned,
recusal is in no sense mandatory. The
judge must determine whether an ac-
quaintance is “a very close friend and
almost part of the family” or “merely
within the wide circle of a judge's
friendships. “Advisory Opinion No. ll
-185-
(January 21, 1970). I have no diffi-
culty in finding that my friendship with
the Garments falls into the latter cate-
gory.
Moreover, it is far from clear that
the Garments’ rather tenuous connection
with this lawsuit would render recusal
proper even if our relationship were
more substantial. Liability is not as-
serted against either of the Garments.
Leonard Garment's only connection to
this action is the fact that his wife
may have discussed with him her inten-
tion to write a column concerning
Liberty Lobby. Given the attenuated
nature of Mr. Garment‘’s connection with
this lawsuit, and my purely social
acquaintance with both the Garments, I
am confident in my ability to render an
impartial judgment.
-186-
Under these circumstances, I feel
fully capable of disregarding this
relationship and I feel others can
reasonably be expected to believe that
the acquaintance is disregarded. See
Advisory Opinion No. ll.
For the foregoing reasons, the
motion for my recusal is denied.
~187-
APPENDIX H
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia Circuit
No. 86-7017
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Appellant
Vv.
Dow Jones & Company, Inc., et al.
and Rich Jaroslovsky
Before: Edward, Bork and Williams,
Circuit Judges
ORDER
It is ORDERED, by the Court, sua
sponte, that this Court’s November 19,
1987, Order allocating times for oral
argument is hereby vacated. And, it is
FURTHER ORDERED, by the Court, sua
sponte, that the following times are
allotted for the oral argument:
-188-
Appellant -- 15 minutes
Appellee -- 15 minutes
Only one counsel per side will be
allowed to argue.
Per Curiam
For the Court:
George A. Fisher, Clerk
By:
Catherine L. Bateman
Deputy Clerk
FILED DEC 7, 1987
-189-
APPENDIX I
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia Circuit
No. 86-70i7
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Appellant
Vv.
Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
and Rich Jaroslovsky, Appellees.
APPELLANT"S MOTION FOR DISQUALIFACTION
OF HONORABLE ROBERT H. BORK
PURSUANT TO TITLE 28 SECTION 455
UNITED STATES CODE
The appellant respectfully requests
that Honorable Robert H. Bork recuse
himself from hearing the argument of
this cause set for December 8, 1987, in
that his impartiality might be reason-
ably questioned as a result of his close
association with two of the central
figures in the case. The-appellant
-190-
submits herewith a statement of points
and authorities and one page from the
testimony of Suzanne Garment in support
of this motion. Inasmuch as the title
of the case could not reveal to Judge
Bork or to any other person the basis
upon which this motion is founded,
appellant specifically states that it
alleges no wrongdoing or misconduct by
Judge Bork.
November 23, 1987
Respectfully submitted,
Mark Lane
132 Third Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002
(202) 547-6700
Counsel for Appellant
-191-
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia Circuit
No. 86-7017
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Appellant
¥.
Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
and Rich Jaroslovsky, Appellees.
STATEMENT OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES
IN SUPPORT OF APPELLANT"S MOTION FOR
DISQUALIFICATION OF HONORABLE ROBERT H.
BORK PURSUANT TO TITLE 28 SECTION
UNITED STATES CODE
Introduction
An examination of the title of the
case neither reveals nor provides evi-
dence as to the names of the parties
with whom Judge Bork has a relation-
Ship. For that reason the appellant
neither states nor implies that Judge
Bork has engaged in any improper con-
duct. The appellant asserts, pursuant
-192-
to Title 28 Section 455(a) that the
impartiality of Judge Bork might be rea-
sonably questioned given the circum-
stances of this case.
The Facts
An article published by appellees,
and a basis of the action for defamation
brought by the appellant, was written by
Suzanne Garment after consultation with
her husband Leonard Garment, Esquire.
The record reveals that Ms. Garment had
little legal background and a paucity of
knowledge of legal matters and implies
that her husband, Leonard Garment,
Esquire played a larger role in the
development of the article than previ-
ously admitted. What is uncontroverted
is the fact that Mrs. Garment wrote the
defamatory article and that she had
-193-
consulted with her husband, Leonard
Garment, Esquire, about it.
It is also clear that both Leonard
Garment, Esquire and Suzanne Garment
held themselves out to be close friends
and associates of Judge Bork and were
apparently the two most active persons
in the United States in support of Judge
Bork's nomination to the United States
Supreme Court. Mr. Garment appeared on
numerous radio and television programs
as the unofficial spokesperson for Judge
Bork during that period, released Judge
Bork's position to the news media at
least on one occasion, ostensibly with
Judge Bork's permission. In addition,
it was widely reported in the press that
Suzanne Garment, the author of a defama-
tory article in this case, was also the
author, with here husband, of documents
~194-
widely circulated in support of Judge
Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court.
Under the circumstances, it seems
clear that Judge Bork's impartiality in
this matter might reasonably be ques-
tioned and that due to actions which
have taken place outside the four
corners of the courtroom, it might be
asserted the Judge Bork would be more
favorably inclined toward the appellees.
The Law
The United States Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia held that
"Section 455 contains a provision
calling for disqualification in a ‘pro-
ceeding in which [a judge's] imparti-
ality might be reasonably questioned,'
[and] we join our sister circuits in
concluding that a showing of an appear-
ance of bias or prejudice sufficient to
-195-
permit the average citizen reasonably to
question a judge's impartiality is all
that must be demonstrated to compel
recusal under 455." United States v.
Heldt, 668 F.2d 1238, 1277 (D.C. Cir.
1981). In support of that contention
the Court of Appeals cited United States
v. Mirkin, 649 F.2d 78 (lst Cir. 1981);
In re International Business Machines
Corp., 618 F.2d 923, 929 (2d Cir. 1980);
Rice v. McKenzie, 581 F.2d 1114 (4th
Cir... 1978), PB j vy, P
Const. Co., 609 F.2d 1101, 1111 (5th
Cir. 1980), cert denied 499 U.S. 820,
101 S.Ct. 78 (1981); Roberts v. Bailar,
625 F.2d 125, 129 (6th Cir. 1980); SCA
Servs, Inc. v. Morgan, 557 F.2d 110 (7th
Cir. 1977); United States v. Poludniak,
No. 80-2133 (8th Cir. Aug. 14, 1981);
Wood v. McEwen, 622 F.2d 797, 802 (9th
-196-
Cir. 1981); United States v. Ri r, 540
F.2d 459 (10th Cir.) cert denied, 429
y.8. 951, 97 8.Ce. 370 (i976).
The District of Columbia Court of
Appeals addressed the question of the
recusal of the administrative officer
who acted in a adjudicative or quasi-
judicial capacity in Morrison v.
District of Columbia Board of Zoning
Adjustment, 422 A.2d 347 (D.C.App.
1980). In Morrison the Court held that
it has generally been recognized that
the same rules required the recusal of
judicial officers are applicable to
administrative officers who act in a
adjudicative or quasijudicial capacity.
In that case, the court. ruled:
In the absence of a statute provided
otherwise, a judge must recuse
himself when his alleged bias arises
from outside the “four corners of
the court-room," Tynan v. United
States, 126 U.S.App. D.C.. 206, 210,
-197-
376 F.2d 761, 765, cert denied, 389
U.S. 645, 88 &.Ct.. 95, i939 &.Bea.20
Ill. 1956), and results in “an
opinion on the merits on some basis
other than what a judge learned from
his participation of the case." In
re Evans, D.C.App. 411 A.2d 984, 955
(1980), quoting United States v.
Grinnell Corp., 384 U.S. 563, 583,
86 S.Ct. 1698, 17120, 16 L.Ed.2d 778
(1966). .
Morrison v.
District of Columbia, etc.
422 A.2d 347, 350 (D.C. App. 1980)
In Evans cited above the Court con-
cluded “the appearance of bias on the
part of the trial judge necessitates
reversal" 411 A.2d at 993, and found
that Rule 63-I [comparable to the sec-
tions under which this motion has been
brought] “is by its terms mandatory,”
citing Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen
& Enginemen v. Bangor & Aroostook
Railroad Co., 127 U.S.App.D.C. 23, 29,
380 F.2d 570, 576, cert denied, 389 U.S.
327, 88 S.Ct. 437, 19 L.Ed.2d 560
(1967). The Evans court continued “[il]f
-198-
an affidavit meets the rule's standards,
the judge has a duty to recuse himself.
Morse v. Lewis, 54 F.2d 1027, 1031 (4th
Cir), cert denied, 286 U.S. 577, 52
S.Ct. 640, 76 L.Ed. 1291 (1932).
Conclusion
For the reasons set forth above the
appellant respectfully requests that
Judge Bork recuse himself from con-
sideration of this matter with the clear
understanding that the appellant does
not state or imply that Judge Bork has
acted improperly in any fashion regard-
ing this matter.
November 23, 1987
Respectfully,
Mark Lane
132 Third Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 2002
Counsel for Appellant
——
-199-
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia Circuit
No. 86-7017
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Appellant
Vv.
Dow Jones & Company, Inc.,
and Rich Jaroslovsky, Defendants
EPOSITION OF SUZANNE R. GARMENT
Washington, D.C.
Monday, November 18, 1985
Deposition of SUZANNE R. GARMENT,
called for examination pursuant to
notice of deposition, a the law offices
of Mark Lane, Esq., 105 Second Street,
N.E., at 1:07 p.m. before REBECCA E.
EYSTER, a Notary Public within and for
the District of Columbia, when were
present on behalf of the respective
parties:
-200-
MARK LANE, ESQ.
105 Second Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002
On behalf of the Plaintiff.
ROBERT P. LO BUE, ESQ.
Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, New York 10112
On behalf of the Defendants
ALSO PRESENT:
Brent Whitmore
Q Did you discuss this proposed
column with your husband?
A I must have--I would guess that I
told him that I was going.
MR. LO BUE: I think I should
instruct the witness that there is an
interspousal immunity at this point
which she can claim.
BY MR. LANE:
Q Not to the question of whether
she discussed it with him.
-201-
MR. LO BUE: That is fair enough,
but everything further, the actual
content, would be privileged.
THE WITNESS: I would guess that I
did.
BY MR. LANE:
Q Is he a lawyer?
A Yes.
Q And has he been a lawyer for
officials of the United States Govern-
ment?
-202-
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that a true copy of
the foregoing Appellant's Motion for
Disqualification of Honorable Robert H.
Bork Pursuant to Title 28 Section 455
United States Code and accompanying
Statement of Points and Authorities in
Support thereof was mailed, first class,
postage prepaid to Robert P. LoBue,
Esquire, Patterson, Belknap, Webb &
Tyler, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York,
New York 10112 on this 23rd day of
November, 1987.
Mark Lane
RECEIVED NOV 23, 1987
-203-
APPENDIX J
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia Circuit
No. 86-7017
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Appellant
ss
Dow Jones & Company, Inc., et al.
ORDER
It is ORDERED, by the Court, sua
sponte, that the following times
allotted for the oral argument of the
above entitled case(s):
Appellant -- 30 minutes
Appellee -- 30 minutes
The panel considering this case will
now consist of Circuit Judges Edwards
’
-204-
and Bork and Senior District Judge
Parker.
For the Court:
George A. Fisher, Clerk
By:
Linda E. Jones
Deputy Clerk
FILED NOV 19, 1987
APPENDIX K
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia Circuit
No. 86-7017
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Appellant
a
Dow Jones & Company, Inc., et al.
ORDER
It appearing from the briefs filed
by the parties that the above entitled
case may not fall within the intent and
purpose of Rule 13(1i) of the General
Rules of this Court, it is
ORDERED that oral argument be heard
on Tuesday, December 8, 1987 at 9:30
a.m. before Judges Robinson, Edwards and
Parker.
-206-
A further order of the Court will be
issued regarding allocation of time for
Oral argument. The attached Form 72
should be completed and returned to the
clerk's office on or before December 1,
1987.
For the Court:
George A. Fisher, Clerk
By:
Patricia L. Chatman
Deputy Clerk
FILED NOV 4, 1987
APPENDIX L
United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia Circuit
No. 86-7017
Liberty Lobby, Inc., Plaintiff,
¥;
Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
and Rich Jaroslovsky
Defendants.
ORDER
Upon consideration of plaintiff's
motion to stay proceedings pending dis-
position of appeal, defendants' opposi-
tion thereto, and the entire record
herein, it is, this 24th day of
September, 1986,
ORDERED that plaintiff's motion is
granted; and it 1s FURTHER ORDERED, that
defendants' motion for sanctions is held
-208-
in abeyance until disposition of the
appeal of this case by the United States
Court of Appeals.
Thomas Penfield Jackson
U.S. District Judge
FILED SEP 25, 1986
-209-
APPENDIX M
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Civil Action No. 84-3455
(Jackson, J.)
LIBERTY LOBBY, INC.
Plaintiff
Vv.
DOW JONES & COMPANY, INC.
and RICH JAROSLOVSKY
Defendants.
MOTION ASSERTING BIAS OR
PREJUDICE OF THE COURT AND
FOR DISQUALIFICATION OF JUDGE JACKSON
The plaintiff respectfully requests
that pursuant to §144 of Title 28 of the
United States Code and pursuant to §455
of Title 28 of the United States Code,
that the Court be disqualified due to
bias and prejudice against the plaintiff
-210-
and in favor of the defendants and that
the Court disqualify itself in this pro-
ceeding because his impartiality might
be reasonably questioned.
In support of this motion the plain-
tiff submits herewith the Affidavit of
Willis A. Carto, Exhibits attached
hereto and the Certificate of Counsel
Supporting the Affidavit pursuant to
Title 28 of the United States Code as
well as a statement of points and
authorities.
September 25, 1986
Respectfully submitted,
Frank Flury
5811 Baltimore Avenue
Riverdale, Maryland 20737
(301) 927-3400
D.C. Bar # 70557
-211-
Mark Lane
105 Second Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002
(202) 547-6700
Member New York State Bar
Attorneys for Plaintiff
-212-
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Civil Action No. 84-3455
(Jackson, J.)
LIBERTY LOBBY, INC.
Plaintifێ
Vv.
DOW JONES & COMPANY, INC.
and RICH JAROSLOVSKY
Defendants.
STATEMENT OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES
IN SUPPORT OF MOTION ASSERTING
BIAS OR PREJUDICE OF THE COURT AND
FOR DISQUALIFICATION OF JUDGE JACKSON
The plaintiff herein has moved pur-
Suant to §144 of Title 28 of the United
States Code for the withdrawal of Judge
Jackson based upon the Affidavit at-
tached hereto asserting that the Court
has a personal bias or prejudice against
the plaintiff and in favor of the
-213-
defendants, and requesting that the
Court proceed no further therein but
that another judge be assigned to hear
such proceeding. The Affidavit sub-
mitted herewith in accordance with §144
U.S.C. Title 28 states the facts and
reasons for the belief that bias or
prejudice exists and is submitted here-
with with a Certificate of Counsel of
record stating that it is made in good
faith.
The plaintiff herein has also moved
for the disqualification of Judge
Jackson pursuant to 455 of Title 28 of
the United States Code, asserting that
the Court should disqualify himself in
this proceeding because his impartiality
might be reasonably questioned.
In support of each motion the plain-
tiff submits the Affidavit of Willis A.
-214-
Carto, an officer of the plaintiff cor-
poration.
The United States Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia held that
"§455 contains a provision calling for
disqualification in a ‘proceeding in
which [a judge's] impartiality might be
reasonably questioned,’ [and] we join
our sister circuits in concluding that a
showing of an appearance of bias or
prejudice sufficient to permit the aver-
age citizen reasonably to question a
judge's impartiality is all that must be
demonstrated to compel recusal under
§455." United States v. Heldt, 668 F.2d
1238, 1277 (D.C. Cir. 1981). In support
of that contention the Court of Appeals
cited United States v. Mirkin, 649 F.2d
78 (lst Cir. 1981); In re International
Business Machines Corp., 618 F.2d 923,
-215-
929 (2d Cir. 1980); Rice v. McKenzie,
581 F.2d 1114 (4the Cir. 1978); Postash-
nick v. Port City Const. Co., 609 F.2d
1101, 1111 (5th Cir. 1980), cert denied
449 U.S. 820, 101 S.Ct. 78 (1981);
Robert v. Bailar, 625 F.2d 125, 129 (6th
Cir. 1980); A Vv Vv P
557 F.2d 110 (7th Cir. 1977); United
States v. Poludniak, No. 80-2133 (8th
Cir. Aug. 14, 1981); Wood v. McEwen, 622
F.2d 797, 802 (9th Cir. 1981); United
States v. Ritter, 540 F.2d 459 (10th
Cir.) cert denied, 429 U.S. 951, 97
S.Ct. 370 (1976).
The District of Columbia Court of
Appeals addressed the question of the
recusal of the administrative officer
who acted in a adjudicative or quasi-
judicial capacity in Morrison v. Dis-
ri f lumbi
-216-
Adjustment, 422 A.2d 347 (D.C.App.
1980). In Morrison, the Court held that
it has generally been recognized that
the same rules requiring the recusal of
judicial officers are applicable to
administrative officers who act in a
adjudicative or quasi-judicial capacity.
In that case, the court ruled:
In the absence of a statute provid-
ing otherwise, a judge must recuse
himself when his alleged bias arises
from outside the “four corners of
the court-room,"” Tynan v. United
States, 126 U.S.App. D.C. 206, 210,
376 F.2d 761, 765, cert denied, 389
U.S. 845, 66 8.Ct. 95, 19 &.8d.26
Ill. 1956), and results in “an
opinion on the merits on some basis
other than what a judge learned from
his participation of the case.” In
re Evans, D.C.App. 411 A.2d 984, 995
(1980), quoting United States v.
Grinnell Corp., 384 U.S. 563, 583,
86 S.Ct. 1698, 1710, 16 L.Ed.2d 778
(1966).
Morrison v.
District of Columbia, “tc.
422 A.2d 347, 350 (D.C. App. 1980)
-317-
In Evans cited above the Court con-
cluded "the appearance of bias on the
part of the trial judge necessitates
reversal” 411 A.2d at 993, and found
that Rule 63-I [comparable to the sec-
tions under which this motion has been
brought] “is by its terms mandatory,"
citing Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen
& Enginemen v. Bangor & Aroostook Rail-
road Co., 127 U.&S.App.D.C. 23, 29, 380
F.2d 570, 576, cert denied, 389 U.S.
327, 88 &§.Ct. 437, 19 L.Ed.2d 560
(1967). The Evans court continued "[i]lf
an affidavit meets the rule's standards,
the judge has a duty to recuse himself.
Morse v. Lewis, 54 F.2d 1027, 1031 (4the
Cir), cert denied, 286 U.S. 557, 52
S.Ce. 660, 76 b.Be. iZ3i tidsd2.
For the reasons set forth above and
contained in the Affidavit of Willis A.
-218-
Carto attached hereto the plaintiff
respectfully requests that due to the
allegations of personal bias or preju-
dice against the plaintiff and in favor
the defendants, the Court proceed no
further herein but another judge be
assigned to hear this proceeding pur-
suant to 144 Title 28 of the United
States Code and that the Judge dis-
qualify himself in this proceeding
because his impartiality might be rea-
sonably questioned in conformity with
455 Title 28 of the United States Code.
September 25, 1986
Respectfully submitted,
Frank Flury
5811 Baltimore Avenue
Riverdale, Maryland 20737
(301) 927-3400
D.C. Bar # 70557
EE
-219-
Mark Lane
105 Second Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002
(202) 547-6700
Member New York State Bar
Attorneys for Plaintiff
-220-
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Civil Action No. 84-3455
(Jackson, J.)
LIBERTY LOBBY, INC.
Plaintiff
Vs
DOW JONES & COMPANY, INC.
and RICH JAROSLOVSKY
Defendants.
AFFIDAVIT OF WILLIS A. CARTO
District of Columbia, ss:
Willis A. Carto, being duly sworn
deposes and says that:
I am the treasurer of Liberty Lobby,
Inc., the plaintiff in the above-
entitled case.
I make this affidavit in support of
a motion to recuse Honorable Thomas
Penfield Jackson as the presiding and
am ala
-221-
determining officer in the motion for
sanctions filed by the defendants
against Liberty Lobby, Inc., Mark Lane,
Esq. and Fleming Lee, Esq. This effort
is not made on behalf of Fleming Lee,
Esq. who, as I understand it, is repre-
senting himself.
Background
The following paragraphs are pre-
sented regarding the background informa-
tion which led me to conduct a cursory
examination as to the possible relation-
ship between Leonard Garment, Esq., his
wife, Suzanne Garment, and Judge
Jackson. This is not an academic appli-
cation because I fear that the facts may
prevent a fair and impartial considera-
tion, but it is based upon what appears
to me to be biased and unfair decisions
in the courtroom which have led me to
-222-
try to understand why such actions took
place. It is my understanding that
hostility or animus in the courtroom or
even what one party believes to be
unfair treatment by a judge may not form
the basis for a formal motion for re-
cusal. The background material pre-
sented below is not offered to demon-
strate that Judge Jackson should be
recused because of his conduct in the
courtroom, but rather explains why I was
constrained to look into Judge Jackson's
possible connections with central
figures in this case and why I did not
at the very outset make this motion.
This application is, however,
neither based solely upon Judge
Jackson's conduct in the courtroom, nor
solely upon his possible connections
with figures in this case, but is based
ex
-223-
upon combination of these factors
which lead me to believe that the par-
tial and bias conduct of Judge Jackson
set forth in summary in this portion of
the affidavit entitled background can be
explained by Judge Jackson's possible
connections with a figure or figures in
this case.
For some years Mark Lane, Esq., who
is not the general counsel of Liberty
Lobby, Inc., and who has never served in
that capacity, has provided legal repre-
sentation in some cases in which Liberty
Lobby, Inc. has been involved either as
a plaintiff or a defendant. I have had
an opportunity to observe the relation-
ship between Mr. Lane and members of the
federal judiciary, including various
judges in the United States District
Court in Washington, D.C., ina trial
a
-224-
before a United States District Court in
Miami, Florida, and arguments before the
United States Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia, and the United
States Supreme Court. My observations
have included an examination of the
transcript of such proceedings and my
personal observation while the hearing,
trial or argument was taking place.
Although a number of the cases were
of a highly controversial nature and
some were charged with emotional issues,
I have observed a mutually respectful
exchange between Mr. Lane and the vari-
ous judges and justices.
In reading the transcript of hear-
ings before Judge Jackson in the instant
case I was struck and alarmed by the
tenor, tone and sharp and threatening
language directed to Mr. Lane by Judge
|
-225-
Jackson when the record revealed no
apparent provocation. The specifics of
these remarks I will address below.
Based upon my concern for the right
of Liberty Lobby, Inc. to secure a fair
hearing before Judge Jackson, I inter-
viewed Mr. Lane. Some of the ailega-
tions made by Judge Jackson to and about
Mr. Lane I knew to be without any
foundation in fact. For example, Judge
Jackson stated on February 27, 1986 that:
Yes. The flavor that I get of this
entire deposition is that it was
largely conducted by you [Mr. Lane]
out of pique at the way in which you
feel that Ms. Garment characterized
your performance in another trial.
(Hearing Transcript,
February 27, 1986, pp.
21-22, Emphasis Added)
Two assertions by the Court in that one
sentence deeply concerned and troubled
me. The record revealed without ques-
tion that the Garment deposition had not
-226-
been filed with the Court. (Hearing
Transcript, February 27, 1986, p. 37)
Therefore, Judge Jackson could not know
through ordinary process what the entire
deposition revealed. Of greater concern
to me was the allegation that it was Mr.
Lane, not Liberty Lobby, Inc., who was
concerned about the defamatory article
written by Ms. Garment about Liberty
Lobby. Mr. Lane was not at liberty to
breach an attorney-client privilege when
he appeared before the Court and thus
was prevented from adequately defending
himself against the charge made by the
Court.
These are the facts. After the
article by Ms. Garment was published in
The Wall Street Journal, at my initia-
tive I discussed the matter with Mr.
Lane. I was concerned that the article
eee |
-227-
republished the previously published
defamation in the midst of pretrial
preparations in this case and that the
article was clearly designed to im-
properly assist National Review, Inc. in
a trial then taking place in the United
States District Court. Subsequently we
discovered that the attorney for
National Review, Inc. was responsible
for the publication of the article
entirely hostile to Liberty Lobby, Inc.
which was in fact published by The Wall
Street Journal during the second day of
the trial between Liberty Lobby, Inc.
and National Review, Inc.
The jury was comprised entirely of
black residents of the District of
Columbia. The allegation that Liberty
Lobby, Inc. was a racist organization
seeking to manipulate or hypnotize black
-228-
jurors was clearly intended to interfere
with the course of justice in that case,
in my view. Consequently, I discussed
the matter with Mr. Lane. i was con-
cerned that if we ignored the republica-
tion of the original defamation and the
entirely false statements made about
Liberty Lobby, Inc. by Ms. Garment, that
Liberty Lobby, Inc. might in some
fashion be weakening its case against
Dow Jones & Co., Inc. I knew the alle-
gation by Ms. Garment which implied that
Liberty Lobby, Inc. sought an all black
jury was entirely false since I had
participated at the counsel table in the
selection of jurors and since as I
recall, the white prospective jurors
were challenged by National Review, Inc.
While I was deeply concerned about
the
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