Afternoon Briefs: Nursing home executives fined $400 daily; did black nationalism influence Justice Thomas?
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
New book seeks to explain conservatism of Justice Clarence Thomas
A new book called The Enigma of Clarence Thomas contends that the justice’s conservatism is shaped by his immersion in black nationalism in the 1960s and 1970s. Author Corey Robin sees parallels between the movement and Thomas’ dedication to achievement without assistance from white people. (Book reviews by the Wall Street Journal and the Atlantic via How Appealing here and here).
Judge imposes $400 daily fine on nursing home executives who refused deposition
A judge in Cook County, Illinois, has imposed a $400 daily fine on executives of a Chicago nursing home until they agree to sit for a deposition. The judge held the executives in contempt in a case filed by Cook County’s public guardian that seeks to learn more about what happened to $750,000 allegedly stolen from 98-year-old Grace Watanabe. The former resident of the Symphony Residences of Lincoln Park has advanced dementia. Several former employees at the nursing home have been accused of stealing Watanabe’s money through forged checks and use of the woman’s ATM card. (The Chicago Sun-Times)
Class action seeks restoration of disability benefits for disgraced lawyer’s clients
A class action suit seeks to revive the cases of about 500 people who lost federal disability benefits after their lawyer was accused of bribing an administrative law judge hearing his Social Security cases. One of the lawyers who filed suit said the disability applicants may have given up their fight for benefits because of the $400 filing fee. The disgraced lawyer, Eric Conn, fled the country after pleading guilty in the bribery scheme. He was arrested at a Honduras Pizza Hut in December 2017 and sentenced the next year to 27 years in prison. (The Associated Press)
