Published by CTBC Director on 23 Nov 2009 at 02:23 pm
Colorado Statesman article mischaracterizes movement to restore accountability to the Colorado Supreme Court
An article in the most recent edition of the Colorado Statesman - a normally nonpartisan and reasonably reliable source of information on Colorado politics and policy - got it dead wrong when mentioning Clear The Bench Colorado at the conclusion of the piece.
Colorado Statesman reporter Janet Simons mischaracterized Clear The Bench Colorado as “a committee devoted to ousting every member of the Colorado Supreme Court” - perpetrating the perception (and partisan criticism) of the grassroots movement to restore accountability to the judiciary as reflexively “anti-judge.”
As astute observers of Clear The Bench Colorado’s many published articles and public appearances are already aware, nothing could be further from the truth. Holding judges accountable to their sworn duty to uphold the law, not legislate from the bench, is hardly “anti-judge” - just “anti-judicial activism.” Only those Colorado Supreme Court justices failing in their duty to uphold the Colorado Constitution (Justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, Nancy Rice, and Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey) are recommended for “ousting.”
The Colorado Statesman’s mischaracterization may have been due to the reporter’s need for a storyline “hook” (a typical journalistic device) - casting Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold as “perhaps the only disappointed luncheon attendee” in contrast to the remainder who “heard exactly what they had hoped to hear” following pollster Floyd Ciruli’s statement that ““[i]t takes an exceptionally terrible judge to get knocked out of office by the voters,” and “I don’t see it happening.”
Considering the widespread perception that Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey (and her coterie on the Colorado Supreme Court) certainly meets the benchmark of “an exceptionally terrible judge” it seems uncharacteristic of Ciruli, normally a perceptive observer of Colorado political trends, to go so far out on a limb in the admitted absence of any polling data to substantiate his position and in the face of several recent polls (admittedly not as big as Rasmussen) suggesting the opposite conclusion. Perhaps once Ciruli runs some polls to gauge the actual public perception of the Colorado Supreme Court retention issue he’ll catch up to reality and start singing a different tune…
Don’t wait for the pollsters and pundits to tell you what to think - inform yourself on how - and why - you can and should exercise YOUR right to vote “NO” on retaining the four unjust justices of the Mullarkey Majority (Justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, Nancy Rice, and Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey) who need YOUR approval to continue taking away your constitutional rights: your right to vote on tax increases, your right to defend your homes and business from seizure by rapacious governments, and your right to enjoy the benefits of the rule of law, not rule by a partisan majority of activist, agenda-driven Colorado Supreme Court “justices.” Support Clear The Bench Colorado with your comments (Sound Off!), your contributions, and your “NO” vote on retaining unjust justices in 2010!
Tags: Alex Martinez, Colorado Car Tax, Colorado Constitution, Colorado General Assembly, Colorado Gun Tax, Colorado Judges, Colorado Mill Levy, Colorado Supreme Court, judical activism, judicial accountability, judicial evaluation, judicial retention, judicial usurpation, Know Your Judge, Mary Mullarkey, Michael Bender, Mill Levy Tax Colorado, Mill Levy Tax Freeze, Mullarkey Court, Mullarkey Majority, Nancy Rice, Ritter Auto Tax, Ritter Gun Tax, school funding, TABOR, Telluride Land Grab, unjust justices
CTBC Director on 05 Dec 2009 at 9:11 PM #
To their credit, the Colorado Statesman DID publish my letter to the editor correcting the mischaracterization of Clear The Bench Colorado in the Lincoln Club article:
Clear the Bench clears up inaccuracy
http://www.coloradostatesman.com/content/991446-clear-bench-clears-inaccuracy
11/29/2009
Dear Editor,
I enjoyed reading the article on last week’s Lincoln Club luncheon in the most recent Colorado Statesman. It’s always interesting to read a journalist’s perspective on events that one has witnessed in person — sometimes there is even a significant degree of overlap between published accounts and personal recollections.
Although it may be true that “any publicity is good publicity,” I’m writing to correct a mischaracterization in your article that I hope was the result of a misunderstanding, and not an example of reportorial bias or lack of journalistic ethics.
You characterized Clear The Bench Colorado as “a committee devoted to ousting every member of the Colorado Supreme Court.” This is NOT accurate.
As I mentioned Wednesday, and have emphasized in a large number of public appearances, Clear The Bench Colorado does NOT advocate “ousting every member” — just the bad ones who have made a practice of failing to adhere to their sworn duty to uphold the Colorado Constitution. As it happens, this DOES include “every member of the Colorado Supreme Court” — Justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, Nancy Rice and Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey, who I mentioned by name — who happen to be up for retention in November 2010.
As I also mentioned at the Lincoln Club luncheon, I hold certain Supreme Court justices — one in particular, also named (Justice Allison Eid) as well as judges at the appellate court level (Judge Christina Habas, for example) — in high regard, because they uphold the rule of law.
Characterizing Clear The Bench Colorado as reflexively “anti-judge” is inaccurate and smacks of partisan bias. I hope that you will take the opportunity to correct your article, and in the future, please feel free to contact me with any questions in advance of publication.
Respectfully,
Matt Arnold
http://www.clearthebenchcolorado.org