Judging Jerry’s Judges
Part One of Two
Are Jerry Brown’s judges a legitimate issue in this governor’s race? Some argue that no one remembers them; they were tossed of the Supreme Court 24 years ago; it is all ancient history. But Brown is running for re-election to the office he held for two terms. His record then is rightly an issue now, especially his record on judges.
Brown appointed seven Supreme Court justices between 1977 and 1982, and for most of his term his appointees formed a majority on the court. His most controversial appointee was Chief Justice Rose Bird, appointed in 1977 and removed from the court by the voters in 1986. Bird came to symbolize "Jerry’s Judges," and for good reason; she epitomized the Jerry Brown court: highly ideological, contemptuous of legal precedent, and openly partisan.
Right from the start Bird proved herself a terrible choice. Immediately upon taking office she picked fights with the court’s professional staff. This may not seem like much, but the Chief Justice is also chief administrator, and is responsible for assuring fair and impartial administration of the law. Bird ignored this. She forced out the court’s top lawyer, Donald Barnett, who had served four chief justices, even refusing to attend his retirement dinner. "She treated the staff of her predecessor as if they were agents of a foreign country," one former law clerk wrote.
Meg’s Sister Souljah Moments
Tom McClintock, the talk show hosts John and Ken, and Meg Whitman’s critics on the right may not realize it, but they are doing her a huge favor with their blasts at her candidacy.
They are providing Whitman with a series of Sister Souljah moments.
Remember Sister Souljah? She was the hip-hop artist who infamously said after the LA riots: "If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?" She was part of the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition. Then presidential candidate Bill Clinton showed his independence from Jackson and the Democratic left by criticizing Souljah. Clinton was condemned by Jackson and others for doing so – which helped serve Clinton’s goals.
Struck Speechless by Bell
Outrageous. Unbelievable. Cries of rage and astonishment were heard throughout California and on network news when the Los Angeles Times revealed the salary of Bell city manager Robert Rizzo a few weeks ago.
This weekend the Times continued its focus on the Bell scandal with a new report that Rizzo’s compensation package topped $1.5 million when all benefits were calculated.
This news is so beyond the pale. From screaming indignation, the reaction changes to stunned silence. I am struck speechless.