When Kansas attorneys misbehave, disserve their client or otherwise betray their responsibilities as officers of the court, complaints are supposed to be dealt with by the “Disciplinary” Administrator, Stan Hazlett.
UPDATE March 23: Rucker files new motion accusing Hazlett of pure political posturing.
Hazlett is supposed to be the absolute model of restraint and neutrality on cases that are proceeding. However, Hazlett has been demonstrating a pro-abortion bias in recent inappropriate comments made about an ongoing ethics case against Eric Rucker, who was chief deputy under former A.G. Phill Kline. But who do we complain to about Hazlett?
When Rucker filed a formal motion asking for recusal of a panel member on his case with an apparent conflict of interest, Hazlett should have stayed silent.
It was up to the panel member to dispel any appearance of impropriety by recusing herself. Secondarily, it is up to the chair of the board for the discipline of attorneys to make a ruling on the need for recusal.
Instead, Hazlett issued an opinion, excoriating Rucker’s request as “misleading, disingenuous and without merit.” Hazlett mocked the documentary evidence as revealing “Kline’s obsession with Tiller and his clinic!”
Mr. Hazlett’s rhetoric is way out of line, particularly as he is currently administering two other complaints– one on May 26 against Kline himself, and one on March 23 against his top prosecutor, Steve Maxwell!
UPDATE March 9: The March Maxwell hearing is now delayed until after he testifies in the Rucker and Kline matters.
Hazlett manages the office of Judicial Administration within the state Supreme Court, which itself has exhibited a pro-abortion bias over the past eight years, agreeing to every abortion business request to stall and/or stop prosecutions by Kline and grand juries by citizens.
The corruption at the top levels of state government continues. Can there be any doubt left that all three ethics complaints against Kline and his associates have no basis in ethics, and should be tossed in the trash right now? (Read more about political donations of the “disciplinarian panel” and examine documents at KansasWatchDog.org.) Meanwhile
- the 2007 charges against Planned Parenthood in Overland Park are stalled due to the state Supreme Court;
- the 4 abortionists who participated in illegal post-viability abortions at George Tiller’s Wichita clinic still retain their Kansas medical licenses;
- the state medical Board director who was ousted for trying to clean up the Board has filed suit over his firing.
