Date: Wednesday, September 16
Time: 9:30 AM ET
Location: Courtroom 22A
The E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse
333 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
At issue is Hillary Clinton's constitutional ineligibility to serve as
Secretary of State. Article I, section 6 of the U.S. Constitution
provides:
"No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was
elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United
States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have
been encreased during such time."
This provision, known as the "Emoluments" or "Ineligibility" clause is an
absolute prohibition and does not allow for any exceptions. The
"Ineligibility Clause" is interpreted by most as designed by our Founding
Fathers to protect against corruption, limit the size of government, and
ensure the separation of powers among the three branches of government.
On January 29, 2009, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit on the grounds that
Mrs. Clinton is constitutionally ineligible to serve as Secretary of State
under the Ineligibility Clause. The "emoluments" or salary of the U.S.
Secretary of State increased at least three times during Mrs. Clinton's
most recent U.S. Senate term. That term, which began on January 4, 2007,
does not expire until January 2013, regardless of Mrs. Clinton's
resignation.
The Judicial Watch lawsuit is on behalf of Foreign Service Officer and
State Department employee David Rodearmel. The lawsuit maintains that Mr.
Rodearmel cannot serve under Secretary of State Clinton as it would force
him to violate an oath he took as a Foreign Service Officer in 1991 to
"support and defend" and "bear true faith and allegiance" to the
Constitution of the United States.
"Our goal is to vindicate the U.S. Constitution," said Judicial Watch
President Tom Fitton. "The Constitution clearly prohibits Hillary Clinton
from serving as Secretary of State until 2013. We hope the court puts a
stop to this attempt to do an end-run around the Constitution in the name
of political expediency."
For more information on this lawsuit, see
http://www.judicialwatch.org/rodearmel-v-clinton.
Contact Information: Contact: Jill Farrell 202-646-5188