Judge Hoyt (Enron case) is a nutcase.

[MrJones]

There's a column in my local paper (Albany NY Times Union) about Kenneth Hoyt, the judge in the Enron case against Andy Fastow, who has some odd ideas about whether the press should be allowed to cover a criminal trial. Turns out that's not the only thing he has odd ideas about (link):

Judge Hoyt has been embroiled in controversy a number of times since President Ronald Reagan appointed him to the prestigious federal bench in 1988, when he was just 40.

Hoyt, who is African-American, has refused to accept evidence about the rate of lupus among blacks "because white people wrote it," and he has denied that race is a factor in sickle cell anemia. He also aroused ire by claiming that physical differences among races were the product of their environments.

"Why do you think Chinese people are short? Because there is so much damn wind over there they need to be short," he was quoted as saying a few years ago. "Why are they so tall in Africa? Because they need to be tall. It's environmental.

"I mean, you don't jump up and get a banana off a tree if you're only 4 feet. If you're 7 feet tall and you're standing in China, then you're going to get blown away by that Siberian wind, aren't you?"

[searchingforlight]

1. From what I remember, this is the way Reagan's mind worked.

If his statement about Africans is correct, than how does he explain the pygmy population of Africa?

Do any appointers look back at their appointees and wonder
"WHAT WAS I THINKING?"

[pookastew]

4. How does it explain Irish people?

We're mostly short, but you have to reach waaaay up high to get your drink off the bar.

[StClone]

2. What a Right wing dream boat

Right out of the wrong side of the Scopes Monkey Trail. He's no Clarance Darrow.

[searchingforlight]

3. No, but Clarence Thomas - - - now that's more in the right arena.