Judge Bill Pryor's ties to gay pornography helped turn him into a "gatekeeper" for conservative interests

Bill Pryor at badpuppy.com

You might think that Bill Pryor's ties to 1980s and '90s gay pornography would hurt his chances of becoming a federal judge. But Pryor's gay-porn background actually helped him receive a lifetime appointment on the federal bench, according to our sources--plus a report from a veteran investigative journalist.

Legal Schnauzer received considerable national attention when we reported in fall 2013 that nude photographs of Pryor had appeared at the Web site badpuppy.com. But Wayne Madsen, who writes from his base in Washington, D.C., apparently was first to break the news in 2009. 

While the story has an undeniable titillation quality to it, Madsen points out its serious implications for our democracy. That's because the unsavory activities in Pryor's background make him vulnerable to a not-so-subtle form of blackmail while serving on the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

In fact, our sources say conservative forces pushed George W. Bush to make the appointment not because of any legal expertise on Pryor's part, but because his secrets make him controllable. Madsen calls Pryor a "gatekeeper" for Republican interests. Others have called him a "fixer," that he protects Karl Rove's agenda on the bench. Rove once served as Pryor's campaign manager in a race for Alabama attorney general.

Either way, Pryor appears to be a judge of dubious integrity. And that might be why prominent Alabama Republican Rob Riley reportedly has asked Pryor to intervene in an Alabama criminal probe that threatens to ensnare a number of individuals loyal to former Governor Bob Riley, Rob's father.

Will Pryor actually try to pull strings behind the curtain in order to thwart a grand-jury investigation in Lee County, Alabama? It might be too early to tell. But if that's what Rob Riley is hoping for, he probably turned to the right federal judge. This is from Wayne Madsen's June 2009 report:

June 15, 2009 -- Is there a closet door closed at the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta?

William H. ("Bill") Pryor, Jr., the former Attorney General of Alabama who was involved in the political prosecution by the Bush administration of Alabama Democratic Governor Don Siegelman and who squeaked by U.S. Senate confirmation after being nominated by George W. Bush to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, appears to have a little something in his "closet." Pryor was confirmed by the Senate in 2005 in a 53-45 vote, his nomination being secured by a bi-partisan agreement between Senator John McCain and thirteen "Gang of 14" senators to force an "up or down" vote on three stalled Bush federal court nominees. Pryor was 43 when he was sworn in as a federal judge.

According to WMR sources in Alabama, Pryor, who now acts as a gatekeeper on the 11th Circuit for the Bush interests in Florida, Alabama, and other states in the jurisdiction, advertised himself during his younger days on a gay website called "Bad Puppy." There are also rumors from informed sources that naked photographs are held by some top Republicans and conservatives as an insurance policy that Pryor rules the correct way on issues on the 11th Circuit bench.

How many cases have received unlawful interference from Bill Pryor? Could they include the high-profile case of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman?

We don't have answers to those questions at the moment, but it's important to note this key point from Madsen--it's Republicans, not Democrats, who have tended to use this information against Pryor--to help ensure that some parties receive favorable treatment, while others are cheated.

The GOP angle is in keeping with our experience. The copies of the Pryor photos we received came from individuals with Republican political leanings.