Free Republic

Judges in Minnesota have too much power, or so say activists seeking reform. The ability of citizens to effectively petition their state for redress of grievances is thwarted by a legal structure which greatly empowers the judiciary, claimed Nancy Lazaryan in a phone interview with the New Patriot Journal.A 1971 state law established a Board of Judicial Standards tasked with addressing accusations of misconduct by judges. The board is composed mostly of judges and attorneys, and reports to the Minnesota Supreme Court. Lazaryan believes this law effectively abdicated the state legislature’s ability to act as a check against the judiciary...

Leaders urged to give people better odds Taking up the standard for the region's poor, the White House's chief envoy to Latin America said leaders must take steps to allow more people to participate in democracy and economic progress. ''This is a continent where the peasants and laborers work from dawn to dusk and end their lives in misery, and not for the lack of natural resources,'' said Otto J. Reich as he addressed The Herald's 2003 Americas Conference on Tuesday in Coral Gables. ``There is too much false nationalism and a lack of firm commitment to real development. The...