Mike Hatch’s forgotten scandal

Mike Hatch is the Minnesota Attorney General and the Democratic candidate for governor running against Republican incumbent Tim Pawlenty. This morning NRO posted my column on the contest between Hatch and Pawlenty: “Code blue in Minnesota.” Please check it out.
In the column I refer in passing to Hatch’s “highly public fight this summer with a state district-court judge whom [Hatch] had sought to remove from a case[.]” The incident involved reflects profoundly on Hatch in the performance of his duties as Attorney General. This post expands on that reference. All facts necessary to render judgment on Hatch’s conduct in the matter are of public record. The conclusions I have reached regarding Hatch’s conduct are shared by experts in legal ethics with whom I consulted.
Persuasive evidence establishes that Hatch has committed serious violations of the rules of professional conduct governing lawyers — and then lied to cover them up. The violations involve more than mere technical mistakes. The violations are of the sort that properly can lead to an attorney being severely disciplined if not disbarred from the practice of law.
On June 12, Hatch telephoned Ramsey County Judge William Leary concerning a case involving the Attorney General