Chief Justice

The California Commission on Judicial Performance announced Friday that it found "no basis" for disciplining California Chief Justice Malcolm Lucas for traveling extensively or accepting reimbursement for his trips. In a prepared statement, the commission said it would close its probe into whether Lucas' travels violated ethics or affected court productivity.

The New Hampshire Senate opened the state's first impeachment trial Monday, sitting as a jury to hear charges against State Supreme Court Chief Justice David A. Brock. As the white-haired Brock looked on, House counsel Joseph Steinfield quoted from an opinion Brock wrote in 1996 about misconduct by a judge: "Without judges who are perceived and trusted by members of the public as impartial, the authority of the rule of law is compromised."

Barbara Durham, 60, the only woman to serve as chief justice of Washington state, has died. She was 60. Durham's husband, Dr. Charles Divelbiss, said she died Monday of a neuro-degenerative disorder at a care facility in Mount Vernon, Wash. Durham was the second woman to serve on the state Supreme Court. She served as chief justice from 1995 to December 1998 and resigned in January 1999. A native of Anacortes, Wash., Durham graduated from Stanford University Law School in 1968.

Former Chief Justice Warren E. Burger defended prison furloughs Tuesday, contending that the issue had become "very much garbled" during the presidential campaign. "Unfortunately, the issue of corrections is never likely to become adequately treated in any political campaign," the former chief justice, who now is chairman of the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution, said in a written statement released to the Associated Press.

In a speech to Orange County lawyers and high school students Friday, California Chief Justice Malcolm M. Lucas called the U.S. Constitution not just "a 200-year-old piece of paper" but "a living document whose interpretation still has the power to move us all." Lucas noted that Americans often take the Constitution "too much for granted." In fact, he said, 75% of those polled in a recent public opinion survey did not even understand it.

The chief justice of South Korea's Supreme Court, Kim Yong Chul, resigned Friday after hundreds of judges demanded that he step down to pave the way for democratic reforms and an independent judicial system. "I did my best to develop the judiciary, but I failed because of incompetence and lack of virtue on my part," Kim, 63, told a news conference. He said was responsible for loss of public confidence in the nation's courts.

Acting on the advice of a former U.S. Supreme Court justice, a state judicial ethics commission today launched formal proceedings against Rhode Island's top judge. The move followed four months of controversy surrounding state Chief Justice Joseph A. Bevilacqua's acknowledged ties to convicted felons and reputed organized crime figures. The judge has denied any wrongdoing. The Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline said it will begin the formal proceedings with a May 21 hearing.

"Chief Justice of the United States" conjures up the image of a regal master presiding over sessions of the Supreme Court and mingling easily with heads of state. William H. Rehnquist has not been training for this aspect of the job. Having clerked for him, I know his penchant for wearing Hush Puppies under his long black robes. Even on those rare occasions when he lunches at posh Washington restaurants, his choice is a cheeseburger and light beer.

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who steered the Supreme Court on a more conservative course during more than 33 years on the bench and who presided over the impeachment trial of one president and helped elect another, died Saturday at his home in Arlington, Va. He was 80. Rehnquist had been in failing health since he was diagnosed in October with thyroid cancer.

Lawmakers recommended impeaching the state's highest judge Wednesday, saying he lied under oath to hinder their investigation of the state Supreme Court. After six hours of debate, the New Hampshire House Judiciary Committee voted, 17 to 5, that there was enough evidence that Chief Justice David A. Brock may have perjured himself to warrant sending the matter to the state Senate for trial. The House will vote on the issue next week. "There seems to be a pattern here of deception.