Professor Oakley Comments on State ‘Conspiracy' for Bee
Professor John Oakley commented for the Sacramento Bee on the "appearance of impropriety" some state workers have alleged in the wake of a budget meeting between Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George on May 11. Some state workers have suggested a connection between $19 million in new fees for court security that appeared in the governor's May budget revision three days after the meeting and the Supreme Court's announcement that it would review CASE v. Schwarzenegger, a lawsuit concerning the governor's power to impose furloughs on state workers that the governor lost in the lower courts.
A spokeswoman for the Court has denied any connection, and Professor Oakley said, "I know Ron George personally and have for over 20 years. I have complete confidence in his rectitude."
Professor Oakley, a member of the King Hall faculty since 1975, is an expert on civil procedure, constitutional law, and federal jurisdiction.