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Control of state courts becomes a top political battleground
Associated Press ^ | Apr 3, 2016 3:05 PM EDT | Christina A. Cassidy

Posted on 04/03/2016 4:14:27 PM PDT by Olog-hai

Much attention is being paid to the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy, but equally partisan battles are being waged for control of state courts around the nation.

In states where voters elect Supreme Court judges, millions of dollars are being spent to reshape the courts for years to come. Judicial watchdogs say spending by national groups overwhelmingly favors judges on the right of the political spectrum, and is mostly aimed at maintaining or improving the courts’ responses to corporate interests while countering state-level spending by labor unions and other interest groups.

Lawmakers are busy too, debating proposals to tip the balance of power by expanding or reducing their court’s size, or making it easier to impeach judges whose rulings upset the legislative majority. …

(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government
KEYWORDS: kritocracy; liberalagenda; statecourts; supremecourt

1 posted on 04/03/2016 4:14:27 PM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: Olog-hai

The ‘courts’ have acquired far too much power in this country. The so called “judicial” philosophy of our present federal employees in black robes which is in practice little more than case by case law making with the presumption that lower courts will enforce said edicts as law.

Has proven that the real power is not in the legislator but in the employees in black robes. Far better to spend your money buying the few of them off, then the politicians who’s laws mean little to nothing in the hands of their agents who now work as dictators.

The real story is all the money that is changing hands in the un-elected court rooms.


2 posted on 04/03/2016 4:20:24 PM PDT by Monorprise
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To: Monorprise

Not that the compliant press would ever report on that story.


3 posted on 04/03/2016 4:21:21 PM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: Olog-hai

Politics makes strange bedfellows, though. Corporations may give lip service and even more to lefty causes, but quite often it’s just trying to buy them off. When actually pressed, they prefer conservative courts; these will not be constantly surprising them with new liabilities. This is why it is credible when Donald Trump says he wants more Thomases on the USSC.


4 posted on 04/03/2016 4:26:36 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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5 posted on 04/03/2016 5:12:19 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Facing Trump nomination inevitability, folks are now openly trying to help Hillary destroy him.)
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To: Olog-hai

“Not that the compliant press would ever report on that story.”

We see very little corruption cases before the Federal employees unless ‘higher’ employees choose to recognize it. In short they are their own police and accountable to nobody not even the people.

The only thing a media organization can do is alienate these dictators against them.

It may be convenient that the most powerful and effective of theses dictators generaly don’t disagree with the majority in the press, but it is also very much a practical matter.

There is nothing they can do to stand up to theses people who have been given unaccountable power.

Only the relatively low level judges are truly accountable for any abuse of power or corruption, and rarely taken seriously.

This is a corrupt system, that only ever worked among them of impeccable integertiy and fidelity to the law with a reliance upon cooperation among the other 2 branches of Government.

That cooperation is no longer required as it is now effectively compelled. Thus far from being 1 branch of a 3 branch government they are now able to rule as the supreme 1 branch.


6 posted on 04/03/2016 5:13:26 PM PDT by Monorprise
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To: Olog-hai

Roughly 15 to 20 years ago, a particularly bad State Supreme Court decision in Nebraska led to one of the justices being “not retained” in the next election. Two others that sided with him left before their retention re-elections came up. The new (and the remaining old) justices stayed pretty close to the law for a while after that.

Unfortunately, the present crop of justices have forgotten this. It is time to throw some more out. One of the reasons it worked the last time is because someone put a lot of money in advertising, reminding people of the bad decision, just before the election. I don’t see anyone on the horizon doing that now.


7 posted on 04/03/2016 5:19:56 PM PDT by jim_trent
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To: HiTech RedNeck

“Politics makes strange bedfellows, though. Corporations may give lip service and even more to lefty causes, but quite often it’s just trying to buy them off. When actually pressed, they prefer conservative courts; these will not be constantly surprising them with new liabilities.”

The big ones probably figure they can afford to weather the liabilities with their army of lawyers and bought off judges. Their smaller competitors will be screwed.

But the big fights between major companies will make them all the real difference by buying off the judges.

I think conservatives are just recognizing that judges are a major playing field where law is made. Something the left has been at for 100 years.

If they can get the low level courts, then they will raise the bar for activist leftist suing and blackmailing them for money.

” This is why it is credible when Donald Trump says he wants more Thomas’s on the USSC. “

Until Trump can show that he can beat Hillary Clinton rather than loses in a landslide against her, what he wants is ill-relevant. Trump has also pointed out this is why he has a long history of given to democrats.


8 posted on 04/03/2016 5:34:17 PM PDT by Monorprise
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To: Monorprise

The polls that assert otherwise have always been those on people who are viewing Hillary and Donald as a tabula rasa.

Let the Alpha Dog and the Cat start to actually tangle, and rest assured that most of the fur that flies will not be the Dog’s. Even if the Cat looks prettier right now.

Hillary has been a hypnotist; Donald is ready to snap the fingers.


9 posted on 04/03/2016 5:37:47 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Olog-hai

Puh-lease! Not buying that “spending” favors right-leaning judges or that ANY of them are trying to reduce the size of government. Where’s the evidence of that? Reads like an email from the DNC to their moronic constituents in a fund raising drive.


10 posted on 04/04/2016 8:01:00 AM PDT by subterfuge (TED CRUZ FOR POTUS!)
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