Free Republic

LAST SUNDAY, a well-placed California Democrat candidly laid out to me the situation here. Democratic Gov. Gray Davis has run a horrible campaign against his recall. The effort by Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the only prominent Democrat on the replacement ballot, has been even worse. Consequently, another Republican actor might soon occupy the governor’s chair in Sacramento, marking the first major Democratic defeat in this state since 1994. But then this Democrat ended our long conversation with a startling prophecy, indicating that help was on the way. He predicted an all-Democrat three-judge federal appellate panel in San Francisco, including two...

As the national media buzz over yesterday's decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to suspend California's October 7 recall election, some conservatives are criticizing the court's ruling as an activist court's gift to Democrats.According to The Washington Times, the court's three-judge panel said holding the elections as scheduled would result in a "hurried, constitutionally infirm election." No new date for the recall has been set, but the panel suggested holding the election in March, when the Democratic primary election is scheduled. The appellate court has delayed enforcement of its decision for a week to allow for an expedited...

<p>The Ninth Circuit, the appeals court that purged God from the Pledge of Allegiance, has now discarded the recall election, creating a possible dilemma for the Supreme Court. If the nation's highest court reinstates the recall, it could appear crassly partisan. After all, this is the same Supreme Court that used the constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process to trump state law and settle the 2000 election for President Bush.</p>

Illegal immigration has resurfaced as one of the top issues in California and will figure prominently in the recall election. In fact, the bill signed by Gov. Gray Davis to give driver licenses to illegal aliens has ripped the scab off the debate over Proposition 187, a 1994 measure that was passed by 59 percent of voters in the state, which Davis refused to defend in the courts. This is a sore on the backs of California taxpayers that never has healed. Proposition 187 was a most reasonable measure. It simply would keep those who come here illegally from using...

My outrage concerning the 9th Circus Court of Appeals decision calling off the California recall election can be boiled down to two words – judicial tyranny. This is not hyperbole, it is a simple characterization of indisputable fact. Three judges, once again, have invalidated the will of the people and the rule of law – under the guise of following the Constitution of the United States. If the judges were right that punch-card voting is unconstitutional, it would be cause to invalidate all previous elections in California – including the election of Gov. Gray Davis less than two years ago....

The Ninth Circuit, the appeals court that purged God from the Pledge of Allegiance, has now discarded the recall election, creating a possible dilemma for the Supreme Court. If the nation's highest court reinstates the recall, it could appear crassly partisan. After all, this is the same Supreme Court that used the constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process to trump state law and settle the 2000 election for Bush. In 2000, equal protection was compromised by a recount in selected counties, each of which employed different standards to determine how far a chad had to be punched through...

"The judges, both of the supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behavior, and shall, at stated times, receive for their services, a compensation, which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office ... the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions, and under such regulations as the Congress shall make." – United States Constitution This Monday the Ninth "Circus" Court of Appeals decided that California could not hold its scheduled recall election. The court's reasoning can be summed up this way: The punch-card voting machines that returned...