Monday, Oct. 05, 2009

Attorney Orly Taitz submits exhibit supporting motion to recuse Judge Land because of purported influence by Attorney General Eric Holder

Attorney Orly Taitz, under threat of $10,000 in sanctions from U.S. District Judge Clay Land, submitted an affidavit Sunday in support of the argument that the judge may have been influenced by President Barack Obama's administration.

The affidavit, filed Sunday in support of Taitz' Friday motion to recuse Land, is signed Robert D. Douglas, of Alma, Ga. It states that Douglas was in a coffee shop waiting for the 12th Street federal courthouse to open for a hearing on Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook in July when U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder entered.

“Red flags went up immediately in my mind and the questions remain, as yet,” the affidavit states. “Why does the attorney general of the United States need to be present in an obscure hearing well off his beaten path? Could it possibly be, since Holder did not present himself in open court, he may have had a little ‘whisper in the ear’ to a federal judge in order to bias his judicial vision and adhere to the president’s agenda of obstruction?”

In his July 8 suit, Cook sought conscientious objector status and a temporary injunction. Land tossed out Cook’s case that month.

Taitz, a national figure in the “birther” movement, filed a motion Friday asking the judge to recuse himself because of personal contacts and financial stakes he may have with President Barack Obama’s administration. The filing stems from a Sept. 4 complaint filed by Army Capt. Connie Rhodes, who argued that she shouldn't be deployed to Iraq because Obama couldn’t legitimately hold office.

Land tossed out the case Sept. 16 and said Taitz could face sanctions if she ever again filed a similar “frivolous” lawsuit in his court. Taitz filed a motion for reconsideration the next day, and on Sept. 18 Land gave her two weeks to explain why he shouldn’t sanction her $10,000.

Also on Sept. 18, a letter signed Capt. Connie Rhodes was filed with the court. It states that Rhodes never gave Taitz permission to file the motion for reconsideration and that the captain no longer wants Taitz to represent her. Additionally, it states that Rhodes intends to file a complaint with the California state bar.

Court records state that Rhodes now represents herself.