American Bar Association To Review Bush’s Use Of Signing Statements

Charlie Savage for the Boston Globe reports that "The board of governors of the American Bar Association voted unanimously yesterday to investigate whether President Bush has exceeded his constitutional authority in reserving the right to ignore more than 750 laws that have been enacted since he took office." The panel of legal experts includes both Republicans and Democrats, and among its members are former Congressman Mickey Edwards, Justice Department official for Reagan Bruce Fein, retired federal judge and ex-FBI Director William Sessions, retired chief judge of the US Court of Appeals Patricia Wald, dean of Yale Law School Harold Koh, former dean of Stanford Law School Kathleen Sullivan, Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree, and professor at George Washington University Law School Stephen Saltzburg. -- "The task force will make its recommendation this summer, Greco said, and the 550-member ABA House of Delegates will vote on whether to adopt its findings at a meeting in August. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, promised to hold a hearing on Bush's use of signing statements."