About Justice at Stake
February 15, 2008
in this issue. . . JOHN MCCAIN ON JUDGES John McCain on Judges Recently the Federalist Society asked major presidential contenders to weigh in on what kinds
of judges they would appoint were they to be elected the 44th President of the United States. The Wall Street Journal published all responses in their entirety (no Democrats responded to the survey). The presumptive Republican nominee, Senator John McCain, included the following statements in his survey response: “I believe that one of the greatest threats to our liberty and
the constitutional framework that safeguards our freedoms is willful judges who usurp the role of the people and their representatives and legislate
from the bench. As president, I will nominate judges who understand that their role is to faithfully apply the law as written, not impose their opinions through judicial fiat…This is not a new position. I have long held it. It is reflected in my consistent opposition to the agenda of liberal judicial activists who have usurped the role of state legislatures in such matters as dealing with abortion and the definition of marriage. ” Eyes will examine attitudes towards the courts of both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in a future edition.
All­Star Cast Backing Minnesota Judicial Reforms
Judicial Public Financing Ready to Move in Wisconsin?
Show Me Strange
Highlights From 2008 ABA Midyear Meeting
ALL­STAR CAST BACKING MINNESOTA JUDICIAL REFORMS Contact Information Justice at Stake Campaign
717 D Street, NW Suite 203 Washington, DC 20004
Telephone:
202 ­588 ­9700 Fax:
202 ­588 ­9485 justiceatstake.org
Click here to send us an email.
Garrison Keillor is not on the list — at least, not so
far. But many other prominent Minnesotans are signing up to support a proposed constitutional amendment that would move Minnesota from contested to retention judicial elections, while providing voters with more information about their
judges on the ballot thanks to the creation of a performance evaluation commission. The prominent supporters include former Vice President Walter Mondale, former Governor Al Quie, both the current and the immediate­past Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, and
former Minnesota Vikings football star and current Justice Alan Page. Supporters of the package of reforms have created Minnesotans for Impartial Courts. The group has an impressive website that goes over the reforms in some detail. See our Campaign partners.
JUDICIAL PUBLIC FINANCING READY TO
MOVE IN WISCONSIN? There’s much to report from Wisconsin, above and
beyond the Presidential campaign rallies, TV ads and polls likely to dominate the news there for the
next several days. In addition to casting ballots in
the presidential primary Tuesday, Wisconsin voters will also head to the polls on April 1 in what
is becoming another nasty and expensive Supreme Court election. The good news is that the long ­stalled yet strongly supported proposal to publicly finance Wisconsin’s high court races may be on the move: this week it moved out of a key committee and is now awaiting debate on the
Senate floor.
SHOW ME STRANGE to publicly finance Wisconsin’s high court races may be on the move: this week it moved out of a key committee and is now awaiting debate on the
Senate floor.
SHOW ME STRANGE When it comes to strange proposals to tinker with
the courts, Missouri – the Show Me state – seems to have no equal. Just as they have for the last several legislative cycles, partisans and special interests have introduced a number of serious pieces of legislation to dismantle the national model “Missouri Plan” for judicial selection in its own backyard. The latest proposal introduced in the state House might qualify as the wackiest one
yet. The resolution, sponsored by a strange bedfellows coalition of St. Louis­area lawmakers, proposes changes to the Missouri Plan and the judicial commission on retirement, rules, and discipline. It also would force all local jurisdictions currently using the merit selection/retention election system to pay for a plebiscite once a decade over how to choose judges. It also requires the Supreme Court to redistrict all circuits
and appellate districts after every decennial census. No word yet on whether an amendment will be offered to the proposal to also mandate rotating right­ and left­handed judges. Work on defending the Missouri Plan is being coordinated by Missourians for Fair and Impartial Courts. HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2008 ABA MIDYEAR MEETING The American Bar Association held its 2008 Midyear Meeting on February 6­12 in Los Angeles, California. Among the programs of interest: Judicial Elections 2008 – Top 10 Tools a Bar Needs to Combat Unfair Attacks on the Judiciary, which included a presentation by Doreen Dodson, Chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Judicial Independence, on the most effective tools for state and local bar association leaders, such as rapid response programs, PSAs, fundraising efforts, effective judicial evaluations, public relations plans and press releases; and Stranger in a Strange Land: Cross­ Cultural Issues in the
Courts, sponsored by the ABA Judicial Division, National Conference of Federal Trial Judges, and many others scrutinizing what the “rule of law” means in today ’s diverse, global society. ABA President William H. Neukom also unveiled a new index developed by the ABA’s World Justice Project to evaluate adherence to the rule of law abroad. The index will focus on four main areas of assessment, including whether the country has “independent, competent and ethical police, lawyers and judges to enforce laws equitably. ” Justice at Stake is a nonpartisan national campaign of 50 partners working to keep our courts fair, impartial and independent. Justice at Stake Campaign partners educate the public and work for reforms to keep politics and special interests out of the courtroom—so judges can do their job protecting our Constitution, our rights and the rule of law.
The positions and policies of Justice at Stake campaign partners, directors and staff are their own, and do not necessarily reflect those of other campaign partners.