Kansas is still dealing with the fallout of Phill Kline's tumultuous tenure as attorney general.
Yesterday, the state's disciplinary board for attorney's slapped the wrist of Kline's former chief of staff and hatchet man, Eric Rucker. The board recommended censure, an "informal admonition," and a sharp tongue-lashing for Rucker's role in misleading the Kansas Supreme Court during the investigation of Wichita abortion provider George Tiller.
The board smacked Rucker for inaction.
When Kline and another
attorney filed a motion to clarify their position -- deemed misleading
by the board -- with the state's high court,
Rucker claimed he told Kline not to file the motion, but did nothing
more to stop them or correct the record. That'll get you
when you're the lead attorney on the case.
As theThe board also wasn't happy at allattorney of record and an officer of the court, the Respondent
had the duty to
provide accurate information to the Supreme Court. The Respondent failed
to take any
remedial action to notify the Supreme Court that the motion to clarify
was not accurate.
with Rucker's attorney, Caleb Stegall, who had referred to the
violations as "technical" or "hyper-technical" -- "violations that only
violated the letter but not the spirit of the Rules." Not so, the report
said.
The Respondent's violations of the Kansas Rules ofThe KansasProfessional Conduct
are not merely
"technical" or "hyper-technical" violations. They are serious
violations. The Respondent
allowed the Kansas Supreme Court and the Disciplinary Administrator to
operate under a
mistaken belief regarding a significant matter in an ongoing criminal
investigation.
Watchdog
has a full statement from Stegall, but he sounds prettyhappy with the outcome.
Yes, the decision found, and Mr. Rucker freely admitted andexpressed his regret that some mistakes were made. He has now been
informally admonished for those mistakes, the case is over ...
It is a dangerous thing to practice the politics of personal
destruction -- when a political win is not enough and instead one's
opponents must be personally vilified, financially ruined, and their
reputations smashed. I think it speaks well of our legal process, of
our Disciplinary Administrator Stan Hazlett, and indeed of the whole
Kansas Bar, that in this case the politics of personal destruction --
which
some have fervently desired -- has not prevailed.
Speaking of the politics of political destruction, Kline still faces a November
15 hearing over accusations of ethical violations. Rucker and
Kline's top prosecutor, Steve Maxwell, could be called as
witnesses, which might make for interesting testimony.
Kline is now a
visiting assistant professor at Liberty
University's School of Law in Viriginia and likely teaching a new
generation how to get access to women's medical records.
As you most likely already know, Tiller was fatally shot while ushering
at a Wichita church.
In January,
Scott Roeder was convicted
of murdering Tiller. He received
a "Hard 50" sentence (50 years without parole) on April 1. The Wichita
Eagle points out that "Roeder cited Kline's failed
investigation as one of his reasons
for killing the doctor."
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What's the big deal about medical records? Jesus and everybody else fundamentally has the same bodily organs. Do I give a shit if you know that I had my appendix removed when I was 17?
Men .. women, we are all fundamentally human. Who really gives a shit if the records are germane to a lawsuit. Especially one that concerns the definition of murder.
People act like there is some BIG secret in personal medical records. I say.. we are all fucking human, and it doesn't really matter.
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