Posted on 03/06/2009 9:15:49 AM PST by EternalVigilance
In a move that should give social conservatives great pause, Governor Sarah Palin has appointed a former board member of Planned Parenthood to the Alaska State Supreme Court.
Palin appointed Anchorage Superior Court Judge Morgan Christen to the state’s highest court on Wednesday. Along with Christen’s former board member status with Planned Parenthood.
There is no disputing Palin’s appointment of Christen will cause the Alaska Supreme to lean left and will ensure a more activist court when it comes to gay marriage, and abortion. The Christen appointment is key because she replaces justice Warren Mathews, one of the dissenting votes striking down the parental consent legislation.
The Governor, who early on won the support of Alaska liberals after she pushed through an enormous, unprecedented tax increase on the oil industry, seems to be back in their good graces with this appointment.
ADN liberal bloggers responded to Palin’s Supreme Court appointment writing,
“Ohmigawd!??The governor's been taken over by space aliens.??What an improvement!”
“Wow. Way to go Palin! I can't believe I just said that. But hey, credit where credit is due.”
“Glad to see a woman in the position to balance out the court. Good for Palin for keeping bible thumper beliefs out of the court system and honoring the separation of Church and State.”
“This is the one good action that Sarah Palin has taken over the past three years. And I have no problem admitting it. Great pick!!!! So even if the wing-nut parental consent bill passes, the state Supremes now have enough votes to overturn it as unconstitutional.”
Granted Palin would have had to put up a fight to block the appointment of the far left Christen to the court. Under Alaska law the judicial council made up mostly of liberal lawyers gets to filter out candidates who do not hold a leftist background. The governor must pick from the names forwarded.
But former governor Frank Murkowski during his term fought the process and at first refused to name any of the names submitted to him. The liberal media beat him up pretty bad over it and he eventually caved.
If Governor Palin would have taken on this fight, it probably would have ended up in court. If she had taken up the fight and asked for all the candidates’ names that applied to be forwarded, it would have brought to the public’s attention that trial lawyers control the third branch of government in Alaska. But with the governor refusing to spend any political capital on this issue, it is sure to disappear from Alaska’s political landscape.
The governor caving into trial lawyers also guarantees an activist court will continue to push its agenda on the people of Alaska. It will continue to stand between you and your child, continue to redefine marriage and block development.
Palin appointing Christen kills any move by the legislature to pass parental consent legislation. The new court with Christen on it will surely strike down any new laws. This is one of the reason Palin’s caving is confusing. Just recently held a news conference standing side by side with conservative lawmakers sponsoring new parental consent legislation.
Refusing to fight for parental consent laws is risky for Palin. It clearly will help her avoid controversy from the liberal media. But conservatives supporting her won't like the fact she appointed a former Planned Parenthood board member to Alaska’s highest court.
Many of the governor’s conservative supporters have ignored her high taxes and liberal anti free market policies. They support her simply because she says she is pro-life and is open about her faith. But the Christen appointment proves that while the governor lives the pro-life message in her personal life, she is not willing to spend political capital on the issue in her political life.
Trashing the National Right to Life, nice.. tell me, has Dr. Keyes saved the life of ONE SINGLE BABY in his sending people out to trash pro-life individuals and groups as being not good enough? I'll take the National Right to Life's record over Dr. Keyes.. I like Dr. Keyes, but his side playing the holier than thou game is getting old and really turning people off.
Then, she should have 1) requested other nominees and 2) if she didn't receive any, force the Alaska Judicial Council to make the choice.
There is no good reason to believe Christen is any more conservative than Eric Smith.
It is Pharasitical politics.
So what's callous about overturning Roe v. Wade and letting the state's have a go at it at this moment in time? You have more honest and open debate. More opportunity to change minds.
And by virtue of the fact that there WILL be pro-life states in such a scenario, there will be LESS ABORTIONS.
And it's a far more feasible scenario with a currently uneducated public than going for a Constitutional amendment banning abortion that goes nowhere. Sticking to the Constitution as is, as you suggested in post 194, won't help unless people are properly educated as to to WHAT'S happening in an abortion. Because how are they going to view the Constitution as being against abortion if they don't view such an act as bereaving their posterity of liberty?
I went to the link...your intepretations of what she said are asinine.
Yep, let’s see how the Palin-bots are going to spin this one.
Frankly, I'd say in terms of political success for conservatives, you're one of the most misguided people EVER.
And what is interesting about perpetually negative people like yourself, is your belief that you have some special kind of understanding about reality that few others possess, making you smarter and wiser than everyone else, when what it really is, is one huge, big fat ego.
Somehow, I don't think Governor Palin's supporters will tolerate it.
Apparently not. The judicial council would just bounce the same two names back to her and it would end up being an endless political game of ping-pong. Plus, the state constitution (listed in many posts on this thread) says that the Governor “shall” appoint a nominee from one of the names given by that council. She doesn’t have a choice. The nominee she picks is then subject to an election (I guess just a “keep them in office? yes/no” type) at the first general election after three years, and every ten years thereafter.
I can’t understand why people seem to be refusing to understand this. She was boxed in, she doesn’t have a choice by her own state’s Constitution, the thing that she’s sworn to uphold.
}:-)4
Read the two applications linked above that Palin reviewed and tell me. Smith lists a lot of liberal organizations as his background, Christen has a lot of adoption champion organizations and discusses adherence to the Constitution. That information is what Palin looked at when making the decision, tell me that you would have made a different decision.
Why would the democrats need undercover operatives when there is EV.
WOW, you actually make sense. : )
LOL, you don’t waste much time of researching things before you post do you?
PREAMBLE
We the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land, in order to secure and transmit to succeeding generations our heritage of political, civil, and religious liberty within the Union of States, do ordain and establish this constitution for the State of Alaska.
ARTICLE 01
DECLARATION OF RIGHTS
Section 1.1 - Inherent Rights.
This constitution is dedicated to the principles that all persons have a natural right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the enjoyment of the rewards of their own industry; that all persons are equal and entitled to equal rights, opportunities, and protection under the law; and that all persons have corresponding obligations to the people and to the State.
EV, I just found something interesting..
Considering you are asking us to trust Dan Fagan about this, should we trust Dan Fagan in what he says about Dr. Keyes?
Seems only fair, doesn’t it?
Unfortunately, it's because it is too many times true.
Your only pointing out the obvious. Well said and agreed : )
You think so? Why, then, in last Tuesday's congressional primary in IL-5 did NONE of the people running the Republican Party lift ONE finger to help the only conservative running, our fellow FReeper chicagolady, while our true conservatives across the land did, helping to give her the victory?
Why are the only ones now helping Rosanna against the corrupt Chicago Democrat machine conservatives?
*sighs* Have to do it again...
Repost!
xxxx
Article 4, § 5 of the Alaska Constitution: “The governor shall fill any vacancy in an office of supreme court justice or superior court judge by appointing one of two or more persons nominated by the judicial council.”
She had no choice in the matter. Pick the hardcore leftist, or the one who was less left.
She went with the gal who was less left.
Also, did or does Palin know that Christen is pro-abortion. The group was not planned parenthood at the time, they didn’t promote abortions at the time, the application linked above makes no mention of it.
You are accusing Palin of nominating a pro-abortion candidate when we DON’T KNOW that Christen is pro-abortion. You are making the assumption based on what the MSM says. You should know better.
Again, the more important question- Why is this Alaskan’s for Life promoting the more liberal, pro-abortion Smith? Don’t you think that question raises red flags about their charge?
xxxx
Please read through the thread before jumping to a conclusion.
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