In light of the recent ruling by the California Supreme Court to uphold the will of the people in amending the state constitution (despite a highly-resourced and publicized campaign to overturn, via judicial activism, a strong majority decision), it is useful to look back on the California experience at restoring some accountability to its judiciary as a result of voter recall of judges, as pointed out in a recent post on another site, the Colorado Index:

Yesterday, it was announced that the California Supreme Court honored its voters wishes.  Doubtless there were some on the court that wished they could vote the other way, given the liberal leanings of most lawyers, but they didn’t.
Why didn’t they?
A few decades ago, California had an out of control Supreme Court that routinely ignored the law, the constitution, and the people to the point that they provoked the public not to reconfirm them at election time.  Several justices, including Chief Justice Rose Bird were put out of office by the voters.
That results of that election instilled a discipline in the California Court that is missing here in Colorado. The Colorado Supreme Court has no respect for TABOR and has never ruled in its favor.  It routinely ignores the plain language of that amendment and did again two months ago.
In 2010, Colorado voters will have an opportunity to reassert their will by clearing the bench of four of the six justices who ignored the will of the voters.  I hope we are smart enough to take it.

Indeed.  Let it not be said that California voters are smarter than those of us in Colorado.  The current majority on the Colorado Supreme Court - led by Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey, aided and abetted by justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, and Nancy Rice, all of whom must face the voters in 2010 - are of the partisan, capricious ilk of California’s notorious Rose Bird.

Vote “NO” on retaining these “unjust justices” in office in 2010.

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