Litigation

Gavel Grab?s State Elections Roundup

By Peter Hardin

In judicial election-season news from around the nation:

• IOWA: A drive to oust three Iowa Supreme Court justices is “misguided,” said Judge Robert Hans0n, author of the initial opinion legalizing same-sex marriage in the state, according to an Associated Press article. The ouster campaign developed in response to the state Supreme Court’s controversial ruling that affirmed Judge Hanson’s decision.
• WEST VIRGINIA: A race between Republican John Yoder and Democrat Thomas McHugh for a seat on the West Virginia Supreme Court may be tinged with partisan politics, given aggressive politicking in races for the U.S. Senate and House, the West Virginia State Journal reported.
• OHIO: Chief Justice Eric Brown and Republican Justice Maureen O’Connor engaged in their first election debate. Justice Brown, the court’s only Democrat, emphasized the importance of a diversity of views on the court, while Justice O’Connor talked about her ability to foster consensus, according to WCPN radio, which provided an audio recording of the debate.
• NEVADA: “The whole effort is to keep cash out of the courtroom,” retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor said in Reno as she continued appearances in support of a ballot initiative for merit selection of Nevada judges, the Reno Gazette Journal reported.

Full post as published by The Gavel on September 23, 2010 (boomark / email).