“No man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause, because his interest would certainly bias his judgment, and, not improbably, corrupt his integrity.” James Madison
Virtually no one disputes the fundamental conflict of interest principle expressed by James Madison in the Federalist Number Ten. In fact, Madison himself derived the principle from ancient Roman law, where it’s expressed in Latin as, “Nemo judex in causa sua.”
Nonetheless, despite the obvious truth of the ancient Roman maxim, the Modesto Irrigation District (MID) ended an investigation into the irrigation practices of a member of its Board of Directors when that same member voted in his own interest last December 16…