Federal judges who have accepted all-expenses-paid trips to seminars that tout “free market” solutions to environmental problems have also struck down protections in some of the most notable environmental court cases of the last decade, according to a new report by the Community Rights Counsel (CRC), a public interest law firm. Last year, nearly 100 federal judges, or more than 10 percent of those who are active on the bench, attended the seminars, which are hosted at luxury resorts and paid for by conservative foundations which get their money from corporations and other pro-business interests. CRC Executive Director Doug Kendall said the study indicated that the seminars had “some influence” on attendees and called on Congress to ban privately funded seminars for judges.
