O'Connor joins group defending Iowa justices

The Burlington Hawk Eye ^ | 09/08/2010 | MIKE GLOVER

[iowamark]

DES MOINES - Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor will speak about keeping courts free of politics as part of an effort to support three Iowa justices threatened with removal because they supported a decision that legalized gay marriage in the state.

O'Connor, a critic of judicial elections, will participate in a Wednesday panel discussion on the "importance" of Iowa's merit-based system of selecting judges. The panel will also include Barry Griswell, former head of Principal Financial Group; Jan Laue, of the Iowa Federation of Labor; and Allan Vestal, dean of Drake University's law school.

The effort is in response to a campaign by Iowa for Freedom, a group formed by former Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats, which is calling for voters to remove Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and Justices David Baker and Michael Streit. They are up for retention votes on the November general election ballot.

Vander Plaats also has called for changing the way judges are chosen in Iowa, a system created 48 years ago when voters amended the state constitution.

"The bottom line is, on a broad spectrum of issues, from conservative to liberal, it is in everyone's best interest to keep politics out of our courts, and we are going to do everything we can to make sure Iowa voters understand this on election day," said Troy Price, political director for One Iowa, a gay rights advocacy group.

[iowamark]

Czarina Sandra I

[FlingWingFlyer]

The most overrated Supreme Court justice in the history of the United States.

[behzinlea]

If judges are going to act like legislators, they should be subject to being losing office like legislators.

[iowamark]

Reagan’s worst mistake!

[yarddog]

Exactly right. Reagan was a great president but he did make a few bad decisions. She was his worst.

[ALPAPilot]

The bottom line is, on a broad spectrum of issues, from conservative to liberal, it is in everyone's best interest to keep politics out of our courts

And that is exactly why these Justices should be thrown out. If they can't make rulings based on the law, Iowa's citizens can find people who will.

[az_gila]

Having met her, she is a nice lady, but it’s interesting that she thinks that judges should have more power than a majority vote of the people.

The voters in Iowa never got to decide, did they?

[JLS]

Well if SDO’s speech is about how the way to keep politics away from the bench if for the Iowa Supreme Ct to stay out of political decisions like defining marriage, then I am all for it. If she just wants to repeat some pap she learned from too many years inside the beltway, no thanks.

[RobbyS]

Pernicious! The idea that judges are not subject to recall. She thinks it wrong that the people should hold them to account, even though in a republic, no one ought to be above the law.

[GeronL]

Oh yes, there is nothing political about reforming civilization from the bench

[Ransomed]

“If judges are going to act like legislators, they should be subject to being losing office like legislators.”

We can’t have the unwashed masses inflicted upon the dignity of our black robed masters...the unwashed masses think a penumbra is a type of burrito you can buy at taco bell.

Freegards

[LibLieSlayer]

o’CONnor is and has always been a shallow thinker and a liberal fascist.

LLS

[RobbyS]

In the early days of the Republic, state judges were elected. the legal profession has fought to “depoliticize” the bench with the false argument that judges with life-time appointments were “fairer.” The truth is that they are irresponsible.

[Theodore R.]

Yes, and this is a major part of the Reagan legacy. Not doing his homework

[Theodore R.]

The people who live her voted on Aug. 24 for John McPain too.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

You got it. When one understands the big picture of how Iowa's SC Justices are chosen, one sees that the SC is the MOST political of all the branches of government. The system is totally rigged to make sure that only Democrats are appointed to the SC and they're there for life unless they get removed.

We need a constitutional amendment changing the method by which the justices are chosen.

Hearing Brenna Findley today she seems to favor the method currently used by the federal govt.

At least when we would change a governor there would be a chance to changing the appearance of the court. This method stinks.

[Keith in Iowa]

>>>Hearing Brenna Findley today she seems to favor the method currently used by the federal govt.

I’d go for that... but even better, I’d go for Governor appoints, Senate confirms, and keep the retention questions on ballots. Best of both worlds.

[Jack Hammer]

Someone should take a moment or two to “educate” Sandra on the meaning of the English language - without which the law means nothing at all. Marriage is the union of one man and one woman in a legally and spiritually binding family unit. Period.

[snowflake2428]

Help me out, Iowans. What’s the mood of the electorate regarding these judges and do you think they will be voted out?

[iowamark]

Hard to say. Historically, most judges have been retained by wide margins. This year, it all depends on the effectiveness of the anti-retention campaign.