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Hawkeye Proposals
Posted in Elections on Wednesday February 10 2010 @ 6:37pm
They can be cold as the falling thermometers in February if you ask about their weather in July, but some Iowans are hoping to change the way their state justices are selected.
HJR 2012, sponsored by Rep. Rod Roberts (R), would appoint one justice from each judicial district, plus one at-large member. Justices would be required to live in their district while serving. Roberts believes this method would help answer a question he reportedly hears from constituents: Who are these people?
Meanwhile, HJR 2013, sponsored by Rep. Kent Sorenson (R), wants Iowa to elect its judges directly. Why? People are frustrated with the justices not answering to the people.
Why are all these newfangled ideas surfacing all of the sudden? Hmm...
The Iowa Bar Association opposes both bills. It could be a long fight.
And we're so by God stubborn
We can stand touching noses
For a week at a time
And never see eye-to-eye.
Laugh About It Talk About It
Posted in Elections on Monday October 19 2009 @ 6:13pm
Candidates for Pennsylvania's high court will debate this Thursday, October 22, 12:15-1:15 p.m.
Guests are requested to arrive by noon to the moot court room at Temple University's Beasley School of Law. Moderator is Lynn Marks of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts. Sponsors include Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, and Temple's Student Bar Association.
For more information call Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts at 215-569-1150, see their website, or join their Facebook page.
We're Court-O-Rama, and You're Not
Posted in Elections on Saturday June 06 2009 @ 10:41pm
While the rest of the world spent late-night Saturday partying, sleeping, or watching SNL reruns, court-o-rama was thrilled to come across an Ethics in America panel discussion on judicial independence.
A bit dated (the year was 2006; Justice O'Connor had recently stepped down), the panel talks election vs. appointment, federal vs. state, the history of appointing judges, campaign funding, court funding (yes, Justice O'Connor uses the term court budget
in a sentence!), the role of the judge (now comes J. Scalia -- we can hear Tom protesting already), free speech, and more.
Whoever put the panel together is our hero. Where else can you hear Barney Frank and Justice Scalia agree? Have you ever heard Justice O'Connor say Earth to Scalia!?"
Plus, former Texas Chief Justice Phillips, and a cavalcade of other legal luminaries!
Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow!
Gopher Law
Posted in Elections on Wednesday June 03 2009 @ 11:32am
Today's Talk of the Nation features a discussion about the Minnesota Supreme Court's upcoming decision in Franken v. Coleman. MPR's legal correspondent Elizabeth Stawicki is on hand to talk about Minnesota election law.
Later in the hour, Tom Goldstein talks about Sonia Sotomayor's DC tour.
Right On
Posted in Elections on Thursday January 29 2009 @ 8:15am
How much do we love being right? Let us count the ways.
Do we love saying "Toldya so?" Does July need a sky of blue?
Turns out we were right when we said voter fraud is a mostly unfounded fear. See Only One Voter Fraud Case Found, Kimball Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer (January 27, 2009).
The prosecutor here asks what else he could have done when faced with (real, we suppose) allegations? Uhm, investigate the claims?
What ever happened to discretion? People fear responsibility and decision-making because it means someone, somewhere, might be unhappy. Then what? Loss of a job? Loss of friends? Loss of face? Get up, stand up!
Natural-Born Nuts
Posted in Elections on Thursday December 04 2008 @ 6:16am
We thought the election would make the Obama citizenship conspiracy go away! Like bumper stickers that don't come off and campaign signs nobody bothers to remove, this case lingers on.
The most recent version has been filed in New Jersey. This time Justice Thomas (a good sign that the case will be stopped dead in its frivolous tracks) and Alan Keyes (we thought he'd gone away, too) are involved!
Florida Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who twice hung up on President-Elect Obama thinking it was a prank call, was not involved!
See Lawsuit Contesting Obama Citizenship Continues, AP (December 4, 2008), quoting Volkh.
Pro-Election, Post-Election
Posted in Elections on Friday November 14 2008 @ 8:50am
Are corporations embracing judicial elections over merit selection?
See What's the Best Way to Pack a Court? Bert Brandenburg, Slate (November 14, 2008). The author is executive director of Justice at Stake.
The State of State Courts
Posted in Elections on Thursday November 06 2008 @ 11:57am
Sure everyone watched the election returns. But did any makers of those red + blue maps show the post-election makeup of state supreme courts? From that big skating rink in NYC to CNN to your local news, we bet not.
Never fear! While court-o-rama is not so good at creating maplike graphics, we are here to report about state supreme court races from around the country:
- Alabama: A close race almost prompted a recount, but as of this writing it looked as though Republican Greg Shaw had been declared the winner. See Recounts Appear Unlikely in Alabama Supreme Court, PSC Races, Eric Velasco, Birmingham News (November 6, 2008), and Paseur's Bid for Supreme Court Falls Just Short, Times Daily (November 5, 2008).
- Michigan: Wayne County Circuit Judge Diane Hathaway (D) defeated incumbent Chief Justice Cliff Taylor, 49% to 39% (11% went to Robert Roddis). The campaign effectively painted CJ Taylor as "the sleeping justice." Justice Hathaway will be the Michigan Supreme Court's first new member since 2000. With Hathaway's win, the state supreme court will be composed of 3 Democrats and four Republicans. See Balance Tilts on State Supreme Court, Dawson Bell, Free Press (November 6, 2008).
- Minnesota: Incumbents won the day in the Land of 10,000 (but who's counting?) Lakes. See State Supreme Court Justices Defeat Challengers, Steve Karnowski, AP/Star Tribune (November 5, 2008).
- Mississippi: Voters replaced 1/3 of the court. The sea change is attributed to an attempted bribery scandal (still under investigation by the FBI), and (perhaps) due in part to the court's overwhelming reversal of jury verdicts (88%). See Mississippi High Court Welcomes 3 New Members, Jerry Mitchell, Clarion Ledger (November 6, 2008).
- Nevada: Voters gambled on Kris Pickering to fill a vacancy on the high court, and knew when to hold 'em when retaining CJ Mark Gibbons. See Gibbons, Pickering Win NV Supreme Court Seats, Sandra Chereb, AP/SF Gate (November 5, 2008).
- North Carolina: Senator Dole is gone, but the North Carolina Supreme Court is still Republican by a slim margin. Party affiliations do not appear on the ballot. If they had, we wonder whether the Obama effect would have changed the outcome. See GOP Maintains Edge on Supreme Court, AP (November 5, 2008).
- Ohio: Congress and the Executive Branch may have experienced a blue upset, but Ohio's high court remains 100% Republican. Justices Stratton and O'Connor defeated Democratic challengers Sikora and Russo. Voters had to do their homework to determine party lines; the information is not printed on the ballot. See Ohio Justices Elected to Another Term. Scott Sabatini, Legal Newsline (November 4, 2008). Kudos to the sitting state supreme court (also all-Republican) for not allowing partisan politics to muddle their decision supporting the Democratic secretary of state.
- Locally in Hamilton County ("swing county in a swing state"), Republican Judge Fred Nelson (R) was defeated by Jerry Metz (D). Judge Nelson had served for six years. He seems to be taking the loss in stride, saying "The voters made their choice. It's a choice I respect. Any time you get involved in election campaigns, you have to be prepared to lose." See Judge Swept Away in Blue Tidal Wave, Kimball Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer (November 6, 2008).
A Modest Election Day Proposal
Posted in Elections on Tuesday November 04 2008 @ 1:43pm
We at court-o-rama.org are appalled at the way U.S. citizens select our President. Whether they're paying big money to appear on primetime tv or showing up on the stagedoorstep of late-night comedy shows, politics has become, well, too political.
The money is exorbitant. The elections are nothing but mudslinging festivals. Back-room deals are made. Superdelegates steal our vote anyway. None of this leads to good choices by the people.
Look where it's gotten us!
Voters are ignorant. According to a 2007 Pew study, knowledge about politics is actually declining. In 1989, 74% of people polled could name the current Vice President; in 2007, only 69% could do so. Only 69% of people could identify Vice President Cheney, compared with 93% recognition for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Little wonder that they elected a president who couldn't identify the leaders of Chechnya, Pakistan, or India.
Citizens are confused -- just look at the number of so-called "undecided" voters at the tail-end of election season! What are they still pondering? How can they not make a choice between two radically different candidates?
Voter education isn't working. After decades of public service, ads, infomercials, a squillion campaign stops, interviews with everyone from Charlie Rose to Jay Leno, more YouTube moments than we can count, and several published books and articles about their lives, many still claim not to know enough about the candidates. Can you name the members of Bush's cabinet? We didn't think so.
How can we fix this morass before our country goes to hell in a handbasket? Is it too late? Are we already sitting wrapped and ready like gifty banana bread in Satan's mailbox?
We propose that the country do away with elections in favor of merit selection. Merit selection will take all politics out of the race. Candidates will be nominated by members of Congress, who will then vet and vote on them. The rest of us can sit back and enjoy Halloween, no worries. Kumbaya all around!
Debates will be amongst the Congress themselves, without need for moderators or downsizing our favorite programs. Portions will be shown on C-SPAN.
A retention election may or may not be held in four years. It depends on how well Floridians and Ohioans can cope without the umpteen mailings and political rallies in their area.
No door-knockers, no robocalls, no problem! (Court-o-rama's momma hollers at the robots, particularly those calling during dinnertime.)
Happy Election Day from court-o-rama! Now go vote while you still can...
One Last Gasp
Posted in Elections on Monday November 03 2008 @ 9:58pm
We hope this will be our last election-tagged entry for some time, but somehow we suspect someone has something up their collective sleeves. But hope wins the day, so here goes...
- Is it OK to drink on Election Day? Depends on where you are and who's buying. Seven states bar (in different ways) the sale of alcohol on Election Day. As you may have guessed, Illinois is not one of them. See Seven States Still Force Prohibition-era Bans on Election Day Alcohol Sales, MarketWatch (October 31, 2008). Thanks to Ryan for telling us this even existed!
- Is it OK to use student comments from Ratemyprofessors.com against your opponent? Apparently so. What your students can tell prospective voters, though, is debatable. Is there any connection between professorial performance and elected official readiness? Cincinnati council member John Pepper gives this tactic, which one candidate for clerk of courts is using against another, the "Least Credible Reference Award." See The Baddies: Award-Winning Local Political Ads, John Pepper, Pep Talk (November 1, 2008).
- Trying to Video Your Vote? Hope you're not in the Bluegrass State, where taking a camera into the polls is illegal. See Kentucky Assails PBS-YouTube Video Vote Project, Ryan Alessi, Lexington Herald-Leader (October 18, 2008). Also, think about whether bringing a camera and filming every darn thing you do is a good idea in the long run.
- Is free coffee ever a bad idea? Sure, in two cases: one, when it tastes like motor oil (yes we're talking to you, NCSC!). Two, when it violates election law. Washington state says it does. We sure hope this is a hoax! No coffee here, no alcohol there, what's this world coming to? See Starbucks Free Java Violates Election Law, State Says (Update1), Duane D. Stanford, On the Economy (November 3, 2008).
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