Senator Jim Dabakis calling for immediate resignation of Utah's lawyer defending Amendment 3

[KatieMCR]

A Democratic state senator called for the immediate resignation of the attorney hired to defend Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage, saying a reported deal with a conservative think tank has created a serious ethical breach that makes it impossible for him to represent Utahns with fidelity.

Sen. Jim Dabakis said that the advice from Gene Schaerr to Republican legislators played a key role in killing a statewide non-discrimination bill before it got a hearing and questioned whether Schaerr did so at the behest of The Sutherland Institute, which has said it has hired Schaerr as a fellow.

"It’s a very serious conflict of interest and I think he should resign immediately and the attorney general’s office should disclose [what the arrangement was]," Dabakis said in an interview Wednesday with The Tribune.

Schaerr is the outside counsel hired to represent Utah before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals after U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby on Dec. 20 struck down the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. The attorney general’s office and The Sutherland Institute argue Schaerr isn’t being paid by the think tank — although he may be later — and contend there is no conflict.

The rest of the article can be found here.

 

[franklin]

So now we're outraged about an attorney hired by a political group to represent the opinion of said political group?

Not news.

 

[Gameface]

I was sooo confused at first

 

[LogGrad98]

Hear hear!!

um, or is it

Here here!!

maybe

Hear here!!

or

Hier hier!!

 

[green]

Uhhhhh....politics are smat.

 

[UGLI baby]

I was sooo confused at first

Dukakis 4 Jazz GM pls

 

[babe]

So now we're outraged about an attorney hired by a political group to represent the opinion of said political group?

Not news.

So who are the current owners of the failing Trib, the worst example of an interest pusher owned by liberals outside of Utah. . . . a sort of carpetbagger media franchise. . . . intended to manipulate Utahns???

Does the Trib try to influence any Utah issues? Isn't that the same level of scandal???

How about all the attorneys with political connections who act in some way to influence events and the public? Is that a scandal??

Why do we let professional members of private clubs like the Utah Bar Association even go inside courts to argue things in front of judges? Isn't that somehow corrupt??

How about Hillary acting as an agent of the US government diverting funds intended for Haitian earthquake victims to her friends and supporters? How about all those NGO organizations taking US gov funds to buy themselves Landcruisers so they can ride like little lords around the countryside to leer at half-clothed starving mothers with their breasts exposed trying to feed their babies???

The Trib is such a lying stinkbag of hypocrisy we should cancel all our subscriptions and boycott their advertisers.

So Utah hires an attorney with a known point of view to defend a position he has supported across some credible time and in the heat of controversy, to defend a Utah law he helped pass.

Who should we hire, Hillary Clinton?

 

[One Brow]

So now we're outraged about an attorney hired by a political group to represent the opinion of said political group?

Not news.

I don't think it's ethical to work for the state to advise in the state's best interest and at the same time work for a private group and advise in their interests.

However, from the article, it's not clear that this happened.