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Stop Gov. Napolitano's Politicization of the Judiciary!

Speculation is rampant that Gov. Napolitano is on the verge of appointing another political crony and long-time left-wing, Democratic political activist to the Arizona Supreme Court. Scott Bales served with Gov. Napolitano in the U.S. Attorney's office, was her Solicitor General in the Attorney General's office, was her gubernatorial campaign attorney and defended her in lawsuits filed by legislators. He also served on the steering committee for the presidential campaign of John Kerry. In short, he's a Democratic Party activist and a Napolitano crony who has followed her from job to job for years. This follows her first appointment - Justice Andrew Hurwitz - who previously had served two Democratic governors as Chief of Staff. Is this what so-called "merit selection" is all about? What happened to "merit" and "non-partisanship" if Gov. Napolitano appoints two close political cronies and Democratic activists to our state's highest court? The so-called "merit selection" system is a joke, and that's why it must be replaced.

This is the reality of so-called "merit selection" in Arizona, the simple truth that everyone from the media to the legal elites wants to ignore and hide - if you are a conservative Governor, you usually get to choose between liberal Democrats and a liberal Republican for the state Supreme Court. If you are a liberal Governor, you get to appoint your closest liberal political cronies to the high court. This is a system that works out great for liberal judicial activism, which is why our predominantly liberal lawyers and judges still defend it today.

In his public interview yesterday with the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments, Bales expressed his concern about attacks on the "independence" of the judiciary, and dismissed concerns about "judicial activism" as being a catch-phrase for decisions people disagree with. At 48 years old, he could sit on the Arizona Supreme Court for 22 years, until 2027. Now is the time to let Gov. Napolitano know how you feel. Please call or email Gov. Napolitano at 602-542-1318/800-253-0883 or azgov@az.gov and urge her to "Stop politicizing the judiciary - please do not appoint Scott Bales to the Arizona Supreme Court!"

Source: Center for Arizona Policy

Posted by tim at June 8, 2005 6:01 PM

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