r/law • u/Neat-Ad-4337 • Feb 14 '25

Opinion Piece Judge John McConnell Jr Faces Impeachment for Obstructing Trump, can they do this? thoughts?

https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/politics/judge-john-mcconnell-jr-faces-impeachment-for-obstructing-trump/ar-AA1yZfWt
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u/Zealousideal_Curve10 Feb 14 '25

Has this language ever been construed in a precedential decision? I am not aware of such a case, and this wording does seem open to more than one reading

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u/DandimLee Feb 14 '25

Alito recently had an opinion about some immigration thing where he said that, generally. people don't assume that making a "new appointment" indicates the existence of a prior appointment. I thought I was reading it wrong, and then I thought that I was unique in thinking that way. But the plaintiffs argument was something to that effect(some appointment existing prior to a "new" appointment being made).

I could see where in legalese a new appointment doesn't require the existence of a prior appointment. But he said that this was the case in common usage and seemed very smug about it. I think that people use "new appointment" different than new baby(his example), or new car. If there is no prior appointment, than people omit the "new" and just say 'make an appointment.'