Posted on 04/04/2005 7:32:23 PM PDT by Crackingham
Sen. John Cornyn said yesterday that recent examples of courthouse violence may be linked to public anger over judges who make politically charged decisions without being held accountable.
In a Senate floor speech in which he sharply criticized a recent Supreme Court ruling on the death penalty, Cornyn (R-Tex.) -- a former Texas Supreme Court justice and member of the Judiciary Committee -- said Americans are growing increasingly frustrated by what he describes as activist jurists.
"It causes a lot of people, including me, great distress to see judges use the authority that they have been given to make raw political or ideological decisions," he said. Sometimes, he said, "the Supreme Court has taken on this role as a policymaker rather than an enforcer of political decisions made by elected representatives of the people."
Cornyn continued: "I don't know if there is a cause-and-effect connection, but we have seen some recent episodes of courthouse violence in this country. . . . And I wonder whether there may be some connection between the perception in some quarters, on some occasions, where judges are making political decisions yet are unaccountable to the public, that it builds up and builds up and builds up to the point where some people engage in, engage in violence. Certainly without any justification, but a concern that I have."
Cornyn, who spoke in a nearly empty chamber, did not specify cases of violence against judges. Two fatal episodes made headlines this year, although authorities said the motives appeared to be personal, not political.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Interesting angle. Blame the violence on the judges. It worked when Clinton blammed terrorism on Rush but he had the assistance of the MSM. Without that, this probably has no traction.
Dems are crazy. I mean, really crazy.
How can you stand lurking at DU? I used to but couldn't handle the sesveral showers I felt I needed after reading such vulgar posts. They can't type 3 words without a vulgar word...
I know of a Christian author who blamed 9/11 on the United States' "economic colonialism." I don't know why it's always okay for the left to blame the evil actions of others on the US and/or conservatives, but it never works in reverse. Not that I believe we should try to blame others for our personal decisions; I just wonder why the blame thing always seems to be a one-way street.
Speaks volumes.
I should have clarified that it is a leftist Christian author, though he himself denies that. He portrays himself as mainstream conservative.
those speeches are always given to an empty chamber. They never mention that hitlary speakes to an empty chamber.
Very interesting.
Is he just commenting on the political climate, or giving a wink and a nod to certain 'conservatives'?
The mind reels.
I'm all for reforming the courts, but this speech seems very counterproductive to me. You don't blame the dead, and I also don't think most of these "courthouse shootings" are related to constitutional law issues. They may be driven by anger, but it's anger over a divorce settlement, etc.
What would you think would be the reaction if a Dem said this?
It's not that the decisions are upsetting whack jobs who go out and shoot judges; rather, it's that when the whack jobs shoot the judges (or their relatives), no one else, not even the MSM, care anymore.
I've been watching the press for signs of sympathy toward the judge in the Atlanta case, and there wasn't any, or it was buried in the outpouring of sympathy toward the lady who was taken hostage.
It's like everybody knew the judge, or his buddies on the bench, had issued orders that resulted in a dangerous prisoner getting loose and killing folks, and that the hostage would not have been taken hostage but for those stupid orders!
The Chicago judge found her husband and mother shot dead, but most of the public sympathy was about the husband and mother ~ not the judge. No one seemed to care what she might have felt.
When some members of the judiciary can be relied upon to rule in either incomprehensible or unjust ways, the public loses confidence in all of the members, and may even begin to think of judges as something other than human.
9 times out of 10, the only ones in the chamber are the Presiding member, the clerk, the stenographer, and the speaker who has the floor.
Something along the lines of, "Those Republicans have nothing better to do".
People aren't stupid. The last election was as much about the abdication of legislative authority to the judicial branch as it was about the 'War on Terror'.
Put bluntly, nature abhors a vacuum. Just look at the Minuteman Project.
I'll bet. I know people who talk like that: "We must overthrow the bourgeoisie! Nationalize the core industries! All power to the proletariat! And, mind you, I say this as a mainsteam conservative."
Nothing better to do than what?
I believe alot of people had sympathy for David Gibbs when he couldn't competantly plead the Schindler's case. They kept blaming the "evil judiciary", or "gutless Congressmen", or the "heartless President".
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.