Restoring accountability to Colorado’s judiciary, upholding the Rule of Law, and defending YOUR rights as citizens and taxpayers against the worst abuses of the Mullarkey Court is serious business.  Extremely serious - but that doesn’t mean that we can’t point out some seriously funny aspects, too.

In 2008, Colorado’s very crowded ballot not only featured a dizzying array of candidates for elective office, but also a veritable plethora of judges (in my area, 17 up for retention, including two Supreme Court justices - one of whom got my “YES” vote) and an alphabet soup of ballot initiatives.

Most of those, including amendments to gut TABOR and increase taxes, were rejected by Colorado voters, but some passed - including Amendment 54, the “Clean Government Initiative.”

Now, a Denver district judge has stopped the implementation of that constitutional amendment - which passed by a vote of the citizens of Colorado - by granting a “temporary injunction” against enforcement of limits on campaign contributions by “no-bid” government contractors:

The amendment prevents anyone tied to an entity that receives a no-bid government contract greater than $100,000 from giving to political parties or candidates at any level.

Once again, a judge has acted on the behalf of special interest groups intent on “gaining favor and contracts from public officials” through political contributions - “probably triggering a flood of campaign contributions” from those seeking to curry favor while the ‘temporary injunction’ remains in effect.

So how does this relate to puppies?  As we are reminded by an article in the June 24th Westword, “Colorado’s puppies and kitties at risk after Amendment 54 ruling,”

“Last November, DMYR reps upset by what they saw as illogical ads opposing 54 and two other amendments, 47 and 49, decided to come up with equally absurd salvos representing the other side of the issue.”

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Then-DMYR President and current PeoplesPressCollective correspondent T.L. James created the ads poking fun at the opposition’s hyperbole at the time, and now notes that

“from TABOR to transparency, it doesn’t matter what you vote for…” special interests,  politicians, and “corrupt collaborators in business… will just find ways to get around it or nullify it in the legislature and the courts.”

Despite the apparently high-minded rhetoric, many Colorado judges (including the Mullarkey majority on the Colorado Supreme Court) have been extremely selective (some might say, capricious or biased) in applying First Amendment protections to political speech, campaign contributions, and ballot initiatives: favoring some, crushing others, depending on their personal preferences.

It’s too bad that we can’t send the judiciary a message by voting to non-retain four Colorado Supreme Court justices (e.g. Justices Bender, Martinez, Rice, and Chief Justice Mullarkey) in the 2010 elections.

Oh wait! YES WE CAN!

Help save Colorado’s puppies and kittens by fighting back against our state’s unjust justices…  Support Clear The Bench Colorado with your voice (Sound Off!), your contributions, and your “NO” vote on retaining unjust justices in 2010!

Come back every week for another edition of the Friday Funnies at Clear The Bench Colorado!