WASHINGTON - January 30 - TomPaine.com, in its Op Ad in The New York Times today, challenges Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia for refusing to acknowledge his lack of neutrality in a future ruling on Vice President Cheney's secret energy commission.

Last month, after the Supreme Court announced that it would take up the case of the vice president's Energy Task Force, Scalia and Cheney went duck hunting together on the property of a Republican donor and oil-industry executive. More than 15 major newspaper editorial boards have urged Scalia to remove himself from Cheney's case.

The TomPaine.com ad quotes the law, 28 U.S. Code 455:

Any justice, judge or magistrate of the United States shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned...He shall disqualify himself in the following circumstances: Where he has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party...

Scalia has responded to the concerns by quipping that the only thing wrong with his weekend with Cheney was that the duck hunting was "lousy."

To view the ad visit http://www.tompaine.com/op_ads/opad2.cfm/ID/9866

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