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.
She had 2 choices. I am VERY COMFORTABLE WITH THE CHOICE SHE MADE. IT WAS BETTER THAN PICKING THE ENVIROMENTAL WACKO.
I posted a thread yesterday:
Sarah Palin: Horns of a Dilemma which will explain the issue in detail and explain the Missouri system of choosing Alaskan Supreme Court Justices. If you want more info go to:
www.conservatives4palin.com
Who knows, they may just be a tool as well, knee jerk reacting to something that was floated to them. Imagine if someone with unscrupulous motivation floated them this story.. if FReepers, who normally are very intellectually curious and investigate everything, fall for it, imagine some poor little ole pastor who is naive to the slime in politics getting a note about this?
Gee and I thought she only liked to kill and gut defenseless animals I didn’t she liked the killing of unborn humans as well. Oh well, it is good to find out now.
Amazing.
By Alaska law, she had to choose from the choices provided to her. It also seems to be doubtful that Christen was ever a member of Planned Parenthood, but rather that she was a board member of a group that joined PP some time after she had left the group.
Fagan’s lying his ass off — again — and dupes like EV who fear a Palin 2012 candidacy are lapping it up.
OK, now that this article has been proven false and misleading, what is your opinion?
Where do you fall out on this issue?
She isn’t pro-life anyway. Like Ron Paul and John McCain, she’s “pro-choice for states.”
The delusions run deep in the Republican Party these days.
I agree. She only had the choice of two and made the best pick of what was offered.
EV is a good, conservative man who I’ve known here for years.. He may be wrong on this, and knee jerked, but he isn’t a troll.
the problem of course is that people who are pro-abortion usually are also green nuts and green nuts are usually pro-abortion. So it’s like flipping a coin: heads you win, tails I lose.
I heard you can pick anyone for the Supreme Court even for the SCOTUS. A person off the street could be picked. She didn’t have to pick an abortionist. She is a loser for picking the abortionist.
As we’ve discussed countless times before, that is a strategy difference, it doesn’t mean a person isn’t pro-life.
Ask FReeper Josh Painter
Your opinion, which does not give you the right to further Fagan's lies about her.
1) Alaska law requires the Governor to select from the list provided under the so-called "Missouri Plan"
2) There is still no evidence that Christen is an "abortionist".
I know who EV is.
Josh,
Since you are more in the know on this and the players, have you heard of any connection between this so called ‘pro-life Christian’ group that leveled these charges and a group called “Alaska Pride”.. I found something yesterday, I don’t want to completely say bam, they are connected, but there is something fishy going on.
The best spin you can put on this is that the judicial council runs Alaska.
She could have put her foot down and not appointed anyone until they came back with an acceptable nominee. That would have been within her constitutional purview.
But I guess these things aren’t worth fighting for.
I heard you can pick anyone for the Supreme Court even for the SCOTUS. A person off the street could be picked. “
Not in Alaska, you heard wrong!
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.