Though he may have acted with proper intentions, the court said his decision contradicted the mandate of the code to remove himself from "any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned".
The Fifth Amendment privilege is available to a witness in any proceeding, regardless of whether it is criminal or civil.
Goldman's bylaws require it to indemnify an officer for all costs in any proceeding, including a criminal prosecution.
Any witness in any proceeding – proper judicial, or quasi judicial – is unlikely to throw any fuel on that particular bonfire.
This would prevent Ms. White from participating in any proceeding in which her husband represented a party with a stake in the outcome.
"One common problem is that for many of the detainees, there are no witnesses who are available to testify in any proceeding against them," it said.
He told this attorney that he could not testify in any proceeding, lest his receiving payment as an expert witness suggest a conflict of interest.
Although federal law requires a justice to do so "in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned," Justice Scalia chose to stay on the case.
