Posted on 12/13/2005 1:49:58 PM PST by calcowgirl
A centrist Republican woman, not a polarizing payoff for the right, is headed for California's high court.
Carol Corrigan, a state appeals court judge, will replace Janice Rogers Brown, a conservative ideologue named by Bush to a federal appeals court in Washington. The contrast couldn't be more instructive.
Corrigan's courtroom idol is retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. "She's is a centrist ... a real consensus builder,'' Corrigan told the Los Angeles Times. Compare that with the go-it-alone Brown, whose record was so divisive that her Bush appointment was delayed for months.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gets points for going against undoubted political pressures to replace ultra-conservative Brown. He didn't cave in and instead found a balanced middle-of-the-roader within his party ranks.
Corrigan, to be sure, comes with a Republican label. A former Alameda County prosecutor, she was picked and promoted by two prior Republican governors. But her record is a ledger of centrist decisions, not extremist rulings.
With major cases ahead, such as same-sex marriage, campaign-finance laws and challenges to business laws, it is important for all sides to expect a fair hearing. The appointment of Corrigan offers that hope.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
A Supreme Nothing
What was that? Oh ya...
Sombody told me that I had better vote for Arnold and not Tom because otherwisze California was going to get screwed.
Well guess what? California has gotten screwed by this rhino every damn day he has been in office...
I hope you ostriches are happy...
I voted for Tom...btw...not this rhino pos...
So this brings Arnold's total number of points for his time in office now up to .75?
Losing Janice Rogers Brown is a blow to the conservatives voices on the court for sure. Too bad Arnold couldn't pick another strong conservative to replace her.
Arnold doesn't like strong conservatives. He hides from them. Might make his Hollywood friends mad at him.
Much better answer. Wish I'd thought of it. :-)
It speaks wonders for Ms. Brown that the sf chronicle hates you..I would wear that as a badge of honor..
Thank you for voicing my exact sentiments. I don't live in CA, but if there was any way I could have voted for McClintock I would have. BTW, I wonder if he may have actually had a chance if all the conservatives who preferred him had actually shown it at the ballot box.
O'Connor was a consensus builder alright - among liberals.
If the SF Chronicle calls her a "centrist," then she must be an abortion-loving, feminist, pro-homosexual judicial activist, at the very least.
Thanks, Arnold.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-supreme10dec10,0,4828953.story?coll=la-home-headlines
(snip)
Among the most controversial cases headed to the high court is a challenge to state laws that forbid same-sex marriage. Corrigan declined to discuss her views on gay rights, but other judges said she is likely to be more sympathetic to gay-rights issues than her predecessor. Corrigan said Schwarzenegger and his aides never questioned her about the issue.
In an interview before her appointment, Corrigan repeatedly described herself as a moderate and a centrist. She switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 1995 after then-Gov. Pete Wilson appointed her to the 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco.
"I think I would probably be a centrist anyplace I found myself," she said. "I was a moderate Democrat, and now I am a moderate Republican…. I am moderate on virtually all things."
She said she particularly admires U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, whom she called a centrist.
(snip)
Corrigan has long been active in the Roman Catholic Church and in Catholic charities. In response to questions, she said the church's views on such issues as abortion and homosexuality may not necessarily reflect her beliefs, nor would she ever permit her religion to influence her legal decisions.
(snip)
BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX
Carol A. Corrigan
(snip)
Political affiliation: Switched her registration from Democrat to Republican after her appointment by Wilson. Has described herself as a moderate and a centrist.
"I think people, when they come before the court, ought to have a feeling that they are in front of a judge or a group of judges who are really listening to this case and not to be burdened with the thought that Judge X always goes that way," she said.
Personal:
(snip)
Is unmarried and shares a house in Oakland with a female friend.
While straddling the center line she stands for absolutely nothing and will be as destructive to California as having Willie Brown be governor.
Go it alone? Didn't the majority vote with Brown more than any other justice on the CSC?
So, to all appearances she is a lesbian dissident heretical liberal Catholic. Great.
This one appointment could turn out to be the worst thing Arnold did in office.
Nor any other decisions, I'm sure.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.