Scalia Defends Hunting Trip With Cheney

Last month, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist rebuffed Senate Democratic leaders who questioned the trip, saying that justices strive to follow federal laws that require judges to stay out of cases in which their impartiality might reasonably be questioned.

Thomas Morgan, a law professor at George Washington University specializing in ethics, said although Scalia has not violated any laws, the public appearance is damaging.

"This falls into the category of, `What were they thinking?'" he said.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg refused to say Tuesday whether she thought Scalia should stay out of the case, when asked about it during an appearance in Hawaii. Ginsburg joked, however, that she has enjoyed deer meat from her longtime friend's hunting expeditions.

"Justice Scalia has been more successful at deer hunting than he has at duck hunting," Ginsburg said to laughter.

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