Legal Heaven on Earth

For trial lawyers there is no place on earth quite as heavenly as California.

Case in point:

Employers often had to endure jealous and emotional squabbling among the girlfriends of prison warden Lewis Kuykendall. Two of the girlfriends bragged to others about their power over Kuykendall. Cagie Brown, one of the girlfriends and a candidate for a promotion, said that Kuykendall would have to give her the job or she would "take him down" by naming "every scar on his body."

Now two of the galfriends co-workers have filed a sexual harassment law suit claiming that warden Kuykendall, who was married, had sexual affairs with three other employees and gave them preferential job treatment.

It used to be that to qualify as a victim of sexual harassment you had to be sexually harassed. No more. The guys in the white hats on the California Supreme Court have ruled that harassment means that you did not get the job you wanted.

Chief Justice Ronald M. George wrote the unanimous decision for the court: Widespread favoritism based upon consensual sexual affairs may imbue the workplace with an atmosphere that is demeaning to women because a message is conveyed that managers view women as sexual playthings and other employees may believe that the way required to secure advancement is to engage in sexual conduct with managers.

The plaintiff’s lawyer was gratified: "It vindicates women who sit there and watch their sisters in the workplace have affairs."

Watch out you workplace romantics, BIG BROTHER will be watching.

Does anyone doubt that judicial appointments are crucial? President Bush will be announcing his nominee for the US Supreme Court tonight. The betting money seems to be on Edith Brown Clement of the 5th Circuit Court in New Orleans. Clement, 57, is considered conservative but has not left much of a paper trail. Lawyers describe her as pro-government, pro-business and pro-defendant in civil cases. My preference would be Emilio Garza, also of the 5th circuit, who served in the military, has denounced the Roe v. Wade decision and has a strong belief in the historic Constitution.