[Iwo Jima]

I have had my run-ins with Judge Sparks. He has quite a strong independent streak. He has ruled against me more that for me, but I thought that he was fair and not out of bounds.

If Judge Sparks is the ogre you say, then why did the defendant (Texas Republican Party) remove the case to federal court in Austin KNOWING that that meant that Judge Sparks would decide the case?

It was the defendant that cited the constitutional requirement for eligibility for congressmen as the grounds for moving the case to federal court from Texas state court. That was the jurisdictional basis for Judge Sparks to even have the case in his court. He interpreted that Constitutional provision the only possible way that it could be interpreted.

You can't blame Judge Sparks in any way for this fiasco. The blame is solely Delay's and the Texas Republican Party. And people like you who thought that cheating is OK as long as it is our guys that did it.

[WOSG]

" If Judge Sparks is the ogre you say"

I never said he was an ogre. I have cited his liberal rulings in a numbers of cases. IMHO he's a liberal Judge,
contrary to both the media 'Republican' label and statements on this board.

I also read his decision here and while I disagree with it I certainly wont call it egregious. I *dont* think 'cheating is OK' and it is wrong for you to say that. I happen to think fulfilling requirements of an election law is *not* cheating, and felt that was done. This is no more "cheating" than what Phil Gramm did in 1983. (He resigned from Congress as a Democrat so he could run for his own seat as a Republican.)

Either way, the Texas GOP and Delay *will* follow the law as determined by the courts, and so leave aside the 'cheating' talk.