Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Court Protects Geithner From Questioning In Bailout Establishment Clause Challenge
In Murray v. U.S. Department of Treasury, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 48692 (ED MI, May 18, 2010), a Michigan federal magistrate judge refused to permit plaintiff to take the deposition of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and granted Geithner a protective order barring plaintiff from deposing him. The decision comes in a lawsuit challenging on Establishment Clause grounds the federal bailout of the insurance giant AIG. Plaintiff alleged that because AIG is the market leader in Sharia-compliant financing, the bailout unconstitutionally uses federal funds to support Islamic religious activity. (See prior posting.) The court said in part: "Plaintiff has failed to cite any case law supporting his assertion that Defendant Secretary Geithner's reasoning and decision-making process, beyond what is available in the public record, is relevant to Plaintiff's Establishment Clause claims."