Thursday, November 30, 2006
Justice for Victims of Hurricane Katrina
U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon has ruled that
The Bush administration unconstitutionally denied aid to tens of thousands of Gulf Coast residents displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita and must resume payments immediately, a federal judge ordered yesterday. U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon said the Federal Emergency Management Agency created a "Kafkaesque" process that began cutting off rental aid in February to victims of the 2005 storms, did not provide clear reasons for the denials, and hindered applicants' due-process rights to fix errors or appeal government mistakes. [...] The case affects at least 11,000 families, said Robert W. Doggett, a lawyer with Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid. [...] Leon ordered that FEMA restore benefits to evacuees who were ruled ineligible to make the switch and provide three months' payments. The agency must offer details on why applicants were cut off and how they can fix their applications or appeal FEMA's decision.Judge Leon was appointed in 2002, i.e., by George W. Bush. Poor Dubya. He can't trust anybody anymore to carry his water.
More blogs about politics.
