Litigation

Judge in Drilling Case Won?t Recuse Himself

By Peter Hardin

U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman, who blocked the Obama administration’s initial deepwater drilling ban, has declined to disqualify himself from the case.

Environmental groups recently contended that Judge Feldman?s financial holdings raise questions about his impartiality, and they sought his recusal (see Gavel Grab).

The activists argued he should be prohibited from ruling in the moratorium dispute due to his holdings in offshore and energy-related companies, according to a Bloomberg article. He also was criticized over holding shares of Exxon Mobil stock, which he sold the same day that his order scrapped the drilling moratorium.

“The motion for disqualification is without merit,?? Judge Feldman stated in an order posted on the website of the federal court in New Orleans.

Full post as published by The Gavel on July 20, 2010 (boomark / email).