The conservatives on the High Court can’t stop themselves from stepping over ethical lines. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s husband, Jesse Barrett, has been retained by Fox News to represent the network in a defamation case, Rolling Stone reports.
Mr. Barrett, a lawyer, is defending the network’s Chicago Fox affiliate, which is also owned by the Fox Corporation, in a defamation suit brought by a suburban municipal worker who had a criminal conviction on a sexual assault as a teenager and served 24 years. The local Fox station, intent on causing panic, reported that the mayor of Dolton, Illinois, hired the man, a known sex offender, to enter and inspect the interior of buildings. The man was actually hired to inspect the exterior of buildings, he claims, and he alleges the accusations made by Fox caused him to be arrested for violating the conditions of his parole and status on the sex registry.
Defending Fox, Barrett argued that the “gist” of the report was “indisputably true” even if details were incorrect. While it’s unlikely this case will reach the Supreme Court, necessitating Justice Barrett recuse herself, she’ll still be dining on Fox dollars as she sits on the bench.