SENATE PRESIDENT SETTLING OLD SCORES ON JUDICIAL SELECTION PANEL …
We typically take the advice of our attorneys.
For example, when they said don’t publish the names of a certain ex-S.C. lawmaker’s alleged sexual harassment victims … we listened. Or when they said don’t expose a ridiculous lawsuit filed against us (at least not yet) … we listened.
But for once, we’re ignoring the advice of one of our lawyers (our top lawyer, actually) … who point blank asked us not to publish this story (right after refusing to comment for it).
Pete Strom is the best lawyer in the Palmetto State. He’s a former U.S. attorney, tactical/ political genius and for the last five years he’s been our founding editor’s go-to-guy when it comes to the myriad legal entanglements that go with speaking truth to power.
You’ve heard of chess players who “see the whole board?” That’s him.
Anyway, Strom ran for a seat on the University of South Carolina board of trustees last year against liberal attorney William C. Hubbard … a guy who is so corrupt state lawmakers previously had to draft legislation in an effort to contain his unethical, self-serving behavior.
Unfortunately Hubbard had the backing of uber-liberal S.C. “Godfather of Pork” Hugh Leatherman – the most powerful politician in the state. So he defeated Strom – and won reelection to the USC board.
End of story, right? Wrong.
Leatherman was apparently so pissed that Strom challenged his “made guy” that he’s now exacting further vengeance. Specifically, he’s removed Strom from the S.C. Judicial Merit Selection Commission and replaced him with Michael Hitchcock – one of the guys who helped run the state’s pension fund completely into the ground.
What does Hitchcock know about selecting good judges? Um … not a damn thing. He’s a Leatherman lackey – meaning he’s there to rubber stamp whichever judicial nominees the “Godfather” chooses.
Sound like “judicial merit” to you? Hell no …
This website has repeatedly railed against judicial corruption in South Carolina – and at times we’ve had less-than-flattering things to say about this particular commission. Of course the judicial selection process is much less corrupt than the legislative elections which follow, and Strom was one of the few members of this politically dominated panel who actually vetted the nominees.
Hell, six of the ten members of the panel are politicians. And some of them are even lawyer-legislators.
All they know about “judicial merit” is which judges they can get to do their bidding.
That’s sad …
Competence should drive judicial selection, not politics. Strom provided that to the selection committee, whereas Hitchcock will provide nothing but a proxy for a corrupt politician.
Anyway, we understand why Strom didn’t want us to write about any of this. But this is far too important a story to ignore. With all the talk of judicial reform in South Carolina, this is the perfect example of how real reform is never going to happen as long as lawmakers control the judges.
It’s time to end legislative election of judges in South Carolina … because there’s simply no aspect of it that isn’t corrupt to the core.
42 comments
I’ll admit I don’t know squat about this subject, but don’t let that stop the rest of you.
I have said it before the public was educated on how senators use judges for their personal gain. It is well pass time that we take this power away from our state senators and give it back to the voting public. At least the public can have a say in who they believe will serve them more honorably than having a state senator calling the shots from behind the scenes.
Hugh owns every cabinet agency even if Nikki appoints the Directors. The “new” Department of Administration? Hugh dominates it. DOT? His son in law is a commissioner. Department of Revenue? A Florence man has the job. Just accept it. Got to answer to Hugh in this state.
Sounds like the power is in the Pee Dee. Speaker Lucas. Pres Pro Tem Leatherman. Multiple cabinet agencies. Pee Dee Pride baby!!
Word out of the Pee Dee area is that old Leatherpecker is not well
In fact close family members have been measuring and remeasuring the site of his imminent entombment
Their primary concern centers on how much rebar and concrete they will have to pour on top of his vault
They are not concerned about any flood waters but the fact that thousands and thousands will line up to piss on his grave has them worried
Note: The concrete for his entombment will not come from the family’s concrete business. They have been producing inferior products for so many years no one in on the payroll who knows how to produce the quality of concrete to withstand a piss stream
Fuckin’ Cockroach
Wow, obviously, you’re a Hug(h)e fan!
?
Sounds like you’ll have to go the funeral, though, just to make sure he’s in the box…
Yes, and be sure to “knock three times” ….
Some one once asked me why I attended the funeral of a person that I particularly disliked.
I told them that I just wanted to make sure the son-of-a-bitch was really dead.
“but the fact that thousands and thousands will line up to piss on his grave”
Leatherman will have beaten them to it by virtue of pissing himself in his Depends.
Does anyone know why baby diapers are called Luvs & Huggies while old people diapers are called Depends? Because if a baby craps in their pants,
you are still gonna Luv’em & Hug’em. If an old person craps in their pants, will they still be Luv’ed or Hugged? That “Depends” on whose ass is in the
WILL.
Do you know what they call a diaper in Japan?
Ya’ got me, I’ve racked my brain for a clever response. The answer is … ________________
Sac-a-hockey
ha-ha… got it!
Q. How do you know when you are
getting old?
A. When you start having dry dreams
and wet farts.
Dammit! Why did I have to be drinking coffee when I read this..??
Could be they’re trying to keep is soul from getting out. If it does, it’ll be heading to hell at warp speed. We win in the end.
I’d love to see leatherman go, except for, Harvey peeler would be next inline. Peeler’s reputation for vindictiveness, back stabbing, and womanizing has been written about on this very website and is well known under the dome.
The Devil you know (leatherman) and have, may be better than, the Devil you get (Peeler)!
Leatherman surrounds himself with ass kissing lap dogs for this reason. peeler was written about recently here for excessive salary increases of his female staffer. Will the taxpayers be happy with the way peeler will squander their money on female employees, etc. , very doubtful. Take a look at Eckstrom’s follies. I predice his would be far worse.
Eckstrom is the worst sort of lying, backstabbing, scum.
Worse than Peeler? 6 of 1, half dozen of the other!
I, too, would say something derogatory about Leatherman, but Mom told me never to say anything bad about the dead.
Hitchcock has his hands full with that investment commission. He should have turned judicial appointment down. But then again, Hitchcock’s present state employee job, making $300,000 a year, depends on Leatherman, so Hitchcock will do what he is told, when he is told and how he is told.
Once a Leatherman toad, always a Leatherman toad.
It is pretty clear there will be a class action suit over this pension debacle. I believe that Hitchcock is probably looking to appoint people that will be “friendly” to Hitchcock and the pension losers. Mot to mention the Godfather, Senator Leatherman.
Leatherman never does the dirty work himself. Never. He always has his “boys” like Senator Alexander or Mike Hitchcock or Senator Setzler or Bob McAllister do it for him. They are all crap, if you ask me.
Cannot wait to see Curtis Loftis and his infected ass fry to oblivion. It cannot be soon enough. He, himself, has said to several staff at the STO that he expects to be impeached. So . we must not disappoint him and sue him for every penny that disappeared from the pension fund and the STO. Million and million of dollars lost and in his pockets and pockets of friends…
“I’m ignoring my lawyer’s legal advice.”
“Hold my beer, I’m going in!”
Sure, but I don’t think you’ll be coming back for your beer.
I really rarely take advice from all but a select few people- when it comes to lawyers, once I hire them I ALWAYS take their advice. PERIOD.
I may argue with them, but if they don’t change their mind I take their advice. That’s never served me wrong so far…(knock on wood)
Is Hitchcock now Dual Office Holding…the most basic and most abused ethics law in the state?
If it were enforced, a helluva lot of cronyism would not take place.
LOL……ROFL……”..You’ve heard of chess players who “see the whole board?” That’s him…..”
Well, for someone who can see the whole chess board…..he sure does a fine job in letting FITSNEWS readers and comment section “hounds” understand how to make money off of the Norfolk Southern land “donations”…?!
Heck, considering that a lawyer is always trying to inform the jury of the chessboard “FACTS”, then where has Mr. Strom added his vision in the comment section of the articles here: http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20151111/PC05/151119852/1505/norfolk-southern-to-protect-additional-290-acres-in-south-carolina-forest
or….this article here…
http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20151111/PC16/151119854/1505/nason-owner-owes-15-million-could-lose-offices-court-records-show
Geez……..is he better than Bill Green or not…??
Every time I see a story about Leatherman I think its going to be about that guy from the Village People.
Jean Toal and Hugh Leatherman must have kissed and made up. I never believed their disagreement was anything more than playing to the press anyway. Some state agency is paying to outfit a nice new office in the Calhoun Building for Jean Toal and 2 state paid staff members for her to enjoy her retirement. Oh. She is going to be a glorified mediator. No other retired judge who works as a mediator has a deluxe new office, two paid state employees and Lord knows what other benefits she has awarded herself.
What relation,if any, is this Pete Strom with the former director of SLED?
Do believe that was his Daddy
That’s right—Hugh Leatherman is the poster-boy for SC’s rip-down-patriots’-flag-with-NO-voters-voting-Legislature like I-Lie-To-Cons-Joe Wilson for SC’s U.S. House RINO scum
But that long Tea Train is rolling and voters ARE going bowling and these felon office-holders will find out that the patriots they slapped in the face are neither slow nor are we dumb !!!
Probably the only thing that can save America period is a real Bloody Revolution! Then it would only be temporary because of our selfishness!
By Summer 2016, this old geezer will be under federal indictments … hahahahahahahahaaaaa (echo echo echo).
Shit by Summer 2016, he’ll likely be six feet under.
Well when did we start looking at competency over favoritism as a prerequisite to run things in this state? Sort of like choosing a labor lawyer to run an environmental and health agency.