MA Governnor would OK law change for Kennedy successor

BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said Wednesday he would support changing state law to allow him to appoint an interim successor to Sen. Edward Kennedy's seat while a special election is held. Unlike most states, a successor to a vacant U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts is chosen by special election, not appointed by the governor.

In a recent letter to lawmakers, Kennedy, who died Tuesday night, said the law should be changed to allow the governor to appoint someone to serve in the Senate during the course of the election—provided that person pledge not to run for the seat.

the new law will pass because one of romney's judges will ok it.

"Governor Mitt Romney, who touts his conservative credentials to out-of-state Republicans,
has passed over GOP lawyers for three-quarters of the 36 judicial vacancies he has faced,
instead tapping registered Democrats or independents -- including two gay lawyers who
have supported expanded same-sex rights, a Globe review of the nominations has found.
Of the 36 people Romney named to be judges or clerk magistrates, 23 are either registered Democrats
or unenrolled voters who have made multiple contributions to Democratic politicians
or who voted in Democratic primaries, state and local records show.
In all, he has nominated nine registered Republicans, 13 unenrolled voters,
and 14 registered Democrats."
- Boston Globe 7/25/2005

Romney Rewards one of the State's Leading Anti-Marriage Attorneys by Making him a Judge
Romney told the U.S. Senate on June 22, 2004, that the "real threat to the States is not the
constitutional amendment process, in which the states participate,
but activist judges who disregard the law and redefine marriage . . ."
Romney sounds tough but yet he had no qualms advancing the legal career of one
of the leading anti-marriage attorneys. He nominated Stephen Abany to a District Court.
Abany has been a key player in the Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association which,
in its own words, is "dedicated to ensuring that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision
on marriage equality is upheld, and that any anti-gay amendment or legislation is defeated."
- U.S. Senate testimony by Gov. Mitt Romney, 6/22/2004 P>

"Romney announces he won't fill judicial vacancies before term ends
Despite his rhetoric about judicial activism, Romney announced that
he won't fill all the remaining vacancies during his term - but instead
leave them for his liberal Democrat successor!
Governor Mitt Romney pledged yesterday not to make a flurry of lame-duck
judicial appointments in the final days of his administration . . . David Yas,
editor of Lawyers Weekly, said Romney is "bucking tradition" by resisting the urge to
fill all remaining judgeships. "It is a tradition for governors to use that power to appoint judges
aggressively in the waning moments of their administration," Yas said.
He added that Romney has been criticized for failing to make judicial appointments.
"The legal community has consistently criticized him for not filling open seats quickly enough
and being a little too painstaking in the process and being dismissive of the input of the
Judicial Nominating Commission," Yas said.
- Boston Globe 11/2/2006

Remember the travesty they made of Wellstone’s tragic death? (and yes, that was a tragedy, he was a good man with a good family and didn’t go around hurting people for kicks)

I can see the Kennedy memorial rally now: the free concerts by aging stars, the shrieking speeches by aging congresswomen, the venders hawking their wares, the booze, the out of control crowd....just like the Wellstone “memorial”, but with the addition of tents with AMA physicians giving free botox and promising free botox for all come Obama care.

“I thought the election law was that you can’t change the rules of an election once it’s underway.”

That would depend on what you mean by “underway”. I could make the argument that “the clock is ticking” on seats in the House of Representatives, for instance, once someone takes office. 2 years, precisely, will have to be ticked off, and we all know it. Doesn’t mean election law can’t be changed in the meantime. Redestricting, etc.

“The only wiggle room that I see is that someone could say that the seat being vacated doesn’t automatically start the clock, but that the clock starts when the governor announces the special election date”

Yeah, that makes more sense than me saying you only can’t change it until after someone’s elected.

Done.

Here is the text of the email I sent:

Dear Secretary Galvin,

My name is Xxx Xxx, and I am a Massachusetts resident. I am enquiring into the status of the special US Senate election.

With the passing of Senator Kennedy, the law stipulates there must be a special election to fill the vacant seat, which is to take place five months from Tuesday, on or before January 25, 2010. There is no mention of this on the web page for the Elections Division for the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.

This election must be scheduled as a matter of law.

Also, how people can register to run for the open US Senate seat?

I would greatly appreciate an expedited response to the questions that I have posed. Please feel free to reply to this email.

Thank you,

Xxx Xxx
Xxx Xxx Avenue
Xxx, MA XXXXX

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