Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold discusses the impact of Colorado Supreme Court rulings leading to a massive expansion of government power (at the expense of YOUR constitutional rights) and vastly increased taxation (such as the “Mill Levy Tax Freeze” property tax increase, the “Dirty Dozen” tax increases and of course the Colorado Car Tax (er, “vehicle registration fee”) increase, along with the dominant role of the Colorado Supreme Court in determining the boundaries of our legislative districts (at both the State and Federal level - deciding how YOU will be represented in Congress and in the Colorado Legislature) and the issue of judicial retention elections for the Colorado Supreme Court following the recent announcement by Chief Justice Mullarkey that she would retire rather than be held accountable by Colorado voters - in Saguache Friday evening starting at 6:00PM, continuing a tour of southwest Colorado this week (other stops include Buena Vista Tuesday, Gunnison on Wednesday, and Montrose on Thursday, respectively).

The Colorado Supreme Court - and particularly, the Chief Justice - exercises enormous power (”clout”) over the lives of Colorado citizens.  The current majority has repeatedly demonstrated that it does not exercise this power with restraint or consideration for your constitutional rights - ruling consistently against individual protections and in favor of expanded government power.  Upholding tax increases (such as the “Mill Levy Tax Freeze” property tax increase, or the “Dirty Dozen” new tax laws) imposed without the required vote of the people, enabling taxes to be collected under the guise of “fees” (such as the Colorado Car Tax), expanding eminent domain abuse to seize people’s property, and grabbing the (legislative) power to draw up voting districts (aided by the recent “Mary-mandering” bill) - this court is acting like rulers, with you as the subjects; re-writing the laws, instead of upholding them.

Be a citizen, not a subject - get informed, then exercise your right to vote “NO” this November on the four (er, three remaining) ‘unjust justices’ of the Colorado Supreme Court’s “Mullarkey Majority”- (Justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, Nancy Rice, and soon-to-be-minus 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 home or business against seizure via eminent domain abuse, your right to be fairly represented in the legislature and Congress, and your right to enjoy the benefits of the rule of law, instead of suffering under rule by activist, agenda-driven “justices.”  Continue to support Clear The Bench Colorado with your comments (Sound Off!) and contributions - and vote “NO” on giving these unjust justices another 10-year term!

Yesterday’s publication of the Colorado Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation  ”Judicial Performance Reviews” for 2010 surprised absolutely no one in the state by continuing a decades-long pattern of ‘rubberstamping’ retention recommendations for nearly all (but one) of the Colorado judges and justices subject to voter accountability on the ballot this November.  True to form, the commissions maintained their pattern of recommending a “retain” vote in 99% of the retention questions on the ballot (actually slightly increasing their historic average of 98.5% to 99.25% “retain” recommendations this year).

The State Commission on Judicial Performance (the commission “reviewing performance” of Colorado Supreme Court justices and Colorado Court of Appeals judges) continued their decades-long pattern of 100% “retain” recommendations by endorsing incumbent Colorado Supreme Court justices Bender, Martinez, and Rice despite their consistent pattern of disregarding clear constitutional language in a succession of rulings (such as the “Mill Levy Tax Freeze” property tax increase, the “Dirty Dozen” tax increases and of course the Colorado Car Tax (er, “vehicle registration fee”) increase, among others).

Have the commissions completely lost all remaining shreds of credibility?  Many commenters believe so…

Although the commissions (and the non-transparent, unaccountable and political insider-dominated “performance review” process that has served to protect the incumbent judicial officeholders) have their defenders, as exemplified by a recent Denver Post guest commentary (”Criticism of retiring Judge (sic) Mullarkey unfair“) and the “usual suspects” such as the bar associations, trial lawyers associations, and other legal profession advocacy groups (such as the Grueskin group formed to defend Colorado Supreme Court incumbents and oppose the growing influence of Clear The Bench Colorado), an increasing number of Colorado Citizens are beginning to question the commission’s legitimacy and are looking behind the curtain - demanding greater transparency and accountability from our government.

Clear The Bench Colorado has been critical of the lack of substantive information provided by the “Judicial Performance Review” commissions (c.f.  Accountability, Transparency apply to the Colorado Supreme Court, too) as have other independent analysts (for example, this article published by the Denver Post, “Evaluating the performance of justices“, back in February).  As noted previously,

The reports issued on each judicial officeholder by the commissions (and appearing in the “Blue Book”) take the form of a “narrative” which by rule “shall consist of 5 short paragraphs totaling not more than 500 words” - only one of which (paragraph 4) may even address “description of the performance of the justice or judge” at all!  The remaining paragraphs (the bulk of the “evaluation”) list the commission recommendation, including vote (1); describe “biographical data” (2); list “previous employment” (3); and conclude with a catch-all mostly devoted to survey statistics (5).

The narratives are heavily biased towards retention of incumbents; rules restrict the recommendations based on results of questionnaires distributed to a select group (predominantly other judges, attorneys, and a very limited number of people actually appearing before the highest court).  Also, the incumbents under “evaluation” have the opportunity to respond to the draft narrative and request changes prior to publication (wouldn’t you like the chance to re-write your own job review?)

What does eventually appear in the “Blue Book” is so watered down and lacking in substance that it’s almost impossible to make any distinction between ‘excellent’ and ‘poor’ judicial performance.  In fact, if anyone thinks that these reviews are helpful in evaluating appellate court judges and justices, please let me know - and explain how they helped you “judge the judges.”

Reviewing this year’s “performance review” narratives on the Colorado Supreme Court justices subject to voter retention this year, it is difficult (if not impossible) to discern just how the commission reached the conclusion to “retain” these justices in office for another 10-year term.

Take, for example, the commission’s “review” of Colorado Supreme Court Justice Michael Bender.  The one short paragraph (of five total) actually purporting to address Bender’s “performance” on the bench includes the following:

Several attorney comments reflected concern that Justice Bender’s opinions are result oriented. The judges surveyed indicate that Justice Bender’s performance is somewhat weaker for refraining from reaching issues that need not be decided, making reasoned decisions, and being fair and impartial…  some opinions are overly detailed and difficult to follow.

Opinions that are “results-oriented” (i.e. textbook definition of judicial activism) and “difficult to follow” while “reaching issues that need not be decided” (again, judicial activism) while receiving weak ratings for “making reasoned decisions, and being fair and impartial…”  What’s not to like?  Clearly, a ringing endorsement for a “retain” vote.

Colorado Citizens deserve better.  Most importantly, Clear The Bench Colorado agrees with critics of the commission “reviews” (see “Judging Colorado’s Supreme Court justices” letter to the editor)  that voters need “relevant, substantive and vigorous information” - based on “the written decisions of the court” - in order to make an informed decision on whether to retain, or NOT to retain, the three out of the seven justices on the Colorado Supreme Court who will be on the ballot this November.   Based on our analysis of the most impactful decisions rendered by these Colorado Supreme Court justices during their tenure - led by the “Mill Levy Tax Freeze” property tax increase case, the “fees are not taxes” case, the“Telluride Land Grab” eminent domain abuse case, the ‘Lobato’ school funding case, and the judicial usurpation of legislative authority in the Congressional redistricting case, among others - the verdict is clear: these unjust justices deserve a resounding “NO” vote in the November elections.

Become an informed voter; conduct your own evaluation of the performance of these justices, based on how (and whether) they follow the Constitution and uphold the rule of law.  Armed with information, Yes, you can exercise your right to vote “NO” on the four (er, now three) ‘unjust justices’ of the Mullarkey Majority (Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, Nancy Rice, and soon to be minus 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 abuse of eminent domain, and your right to enjoy the benefits of the rule of law, instead of rule by activist, agenda-driven “justices.”  Support Clear The Bench Colorado with your comments (Sound Off!) and your contributions - and vote “NO” on retaining these unjust justices in the November elections!

The resurgence of “We The People” in the form of local citizens banding together in grassroots civic action organizations to defend our constitutional rights is THE continuing political story of the year 2010 in America and is profoundly affecting Colorado Politics in this year and beyond…

Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold is both proud and humbled to have been invited as a guest speaker to several such groups over the last several months - beginning with the massive (7000+) crowd at the first Tax Day Tea Party rally at the Denver Capitol and continuing through several events throughout the Spring (examples here, and here), Summer (examples here, here, and here) Fall (examples here, here, here, here, and here) and Winter (examples here, and here) of 2009 - we’re back for more in 2010, most prominently at the Tax Day Tea Party rallies on April 15th.

Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold discusses the impact of Colorado Supreme Court rulings leading to a massive expansion of government power (at the expense of YOUR constitutional rights) and vastly increased taxation (such as the “Mill Levy Tax Freeze” property tax increase, the “Dirty Dozen” tax increases and of course the Colorado Car Tax (er, “vehicle registration fee”) increase, along with the dominant role of the Colorado Supreme Court in determining the boundaries of our legislative districts (at both the State and Federal level - deciding how YOU will be represented in Congress and in the Colorado Legislature) and the issue of judicial retention elections for the Colorado Supreme Court following the recent announcement by Chief Justice Mullarkey that she would retire rather than be held accountable by Colorado voters - in Gunnison Wednesday evening starting at 6:00PM, continuing a tour of southwest Colorado this week (other stops include Buena Vista Tuesday, Montrose on Thursday, and Saguache on Friday, respectively).

The Colorado Supreme Court - and particularly, the Chief Justice - exercises enormous power (”clout”) over the lives of Colorado citizens.  The current majority has repeatedly demonstrated that it does not exercise this power with restraint or consideration for your constitutional rights - ruling consistently against individual protections and in favor of expanded government power.  Upholding tax increases (such as the “Mill Levy Tax Freeze” property tax increase, or the “Dirty Dozen” new tax laws) imposed without the required vote of the people, enabling taxes to be collected under the guise of “fees” (such as the Colorado Car Tax), expanding eminent domain abuse to seize people’s property, and grabbing the (legislative) power to draw up voting districts (aided by the recent “Mary-mandering” bill) - this court is acting like rulers, with you as the subjects; re-writing the laws, instead of upholding them.

Be a citizen, not a subject - get informed, then exercise your right to vote “NO” this November on the four (er, three remaining) ‘unjust justices’ of the Colorado Supreme Court’s “Mullarkey Majority”- (Justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, Nancy Rice, and soon-to-be-minus 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 home or business against seizure via eminent domain abuse, your right to be fairly represented in the legislature and Congress, and your right to enjoy the benefits of the rule of law, instead of suffering under rule by activist, agenda-driven “justices.”  Continue to support Clear The Bench Colorado with your comments (Sound Off!) and contributions - and vote “NO” on giving these unjust justices another 10-year term!

Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold discusses the impact of Colorado Supreme Court rulings leading to a massive expansion of government power (at the expense of YOUR constitutional rights) and vastly increased taxation (such as the “Mill Levy Tax Freeze” property tax increase, the “Dirty Dozen” tax increases and of course the Colorado Car Tax (er, “vehicle registration fee”) increase, along with the dominant role of the Colorado Supreme Court in determining the boundaries of our legislative districts (at both the State and Federal level - deciding how YOU will be represented in Congress and in the Colorado Legislature) and the issue of judicial retention elections for the Colorado Supreme Court following the recent announcement by Chief Justice Mullarkey that she would retire rather than be held accountable by Colorado voters - at the Centennial Peaks Republican Women (American Legion Hall, Buena Vista) event Tuesday starting at 6:00PM, kicking off a tour of southwest Colorado this week (other stops include Gunnison, Montrose, and Saguache, respectively).

The Colorado Supreme Court - and particularly, the Chief Justice - exercises enormous power (”clout”) over the lives of Colorado citizens.  The current majority has repeatedly demonstrated that it does not exercise this power with restraint or consideration for your constitutional rights - ruling consistently against individual protections and in favor of expanded government power.  Upholding tax increases (such as the “Mill Levy Tax Freeze” property tax increase, or the “Dirty Dozen” new tax laws) imposed without the required vote of the people, enabling taxes to be collected under the guise of “fees” (such as the Colorado Car Tax), expanding eminent domain abuse to seize people’s property, and grabbing the (legislative) power to draw up voting districts (aided by the recent “Mary-mandering” bill) - this court is acting like rulers, with you as the subjects; re-writing the laws, instead of upholding them.

Be a citizen, not a subject - get informed, then exercise your right to vote “NO” this November on the four (er, three remaining) ‘unjust justices’ of the Colorado Supreme Court’s “Mullarkey Majority”- (Justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, Nancy Rice, and soon-to-be-minus 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 home or business against seizure via eminent domain abuse, your right to be fairly represented in the legislature and Congress, and your right to enjoy the benefits of the rule of law, instead of suffering under rule by activist, agenda-driven “justices.”  Continue to support Clear The Bench Colorado with your comments (Sound Off!) and contributions - and vote “NO” on giving these unjust justices another 10-year term!

Political enemies of Attorney General John Suthers are STILL attempting to use his principled (albeit uncharacteristically bold) statement that he would vote “NO” on retaining 3 of the 4 Colorado Supreme Court justices on the ballot (Justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, & Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey) as a political club with which to rhetorically beat him - continuing to propagate knowingly false statements accusing him of partisan bias in his pronouncement.

State Senator Morgan Carroll - appearing at a nonpartisan gathering of politically-interested people at Liberty On The Rocks (Red Rocks) - stuck by her earlier accusation against Attorney General John Suthers of “partisan bias” and her call for his impeachment when challenged to defend her statement.

While Senator Carroll is certainly entitled to her own opinion, she does NOT get to pick her own facts - her attack on the Attorney General intentionally misrepresented his statement in order to score political points.  In other words - as previously noted in this space -  she lied.

Senator Morgan Carroll - a Democrat, and therefore presumably a political enemy of Republican Attorney General Suthers - asserted in a blog post entitled “The Role of the Attorney General” that the AG stated

he would not vote for retention for any of the Colorado Supreme Court Justices who were originally appointed by a Democrat.

The proper measure for retention of a judge is their judicial performance - not political party.  The Judicial Performance Commission makes these reports available on non-partisan criteria pertaining the experience of lawyers, parties and public with the Judges.

For the states highest law enforcement officer to call for a partisan purge and partisan stacking of the bench raises serious questions.

We need to protect the importance of this office to ensure that it does not get subverted to a partisan agenda on either side…

Carroll’s polemic intentionally misrepresents both the AG’s statement and the rationale for his position, in a blatant attempt at partisan spin.  Suthers did NOT state that he “would not vote for retention for any of the Colorado Supreme Court Justices who were originally appointed by a Democrat.”  In fact, he stated that he would vote “NO” on 3 of the 4, and “yes” on the other (ALL 4 are Democrat appointments) on the basis of his perception of the constitutionality of their rulings, NOT their partisan affiliation.  Accusations of a “partisan purge and partisan stacking of the bench” are knowingly false statements - perhaps the AG has grounds for a libel suit against Sen. Carroll?

We can assert with confidence that Carroll’s statement was knowingly false not only because she cited as the source for her attack the Post article  (AG Suthers may not back 3 on state Supreme Court) which, although itself containing some spin, accurately reported the AG’s statement.

We can also assert with confidence that Carroll knows the facts because we told her so - commenting on her post (which comment she refused to publish - OK, her site, her rules - CTBC also moderates comments, but allows both positive and negative comments to be published) and now in person.

Our response to Senator Carroll’s possibly libelous, certainly disingenuous statement:

Senator Carroll: Clear The Bench Colorado agrees with your statement that “The proper measure for retention of a judge is their judicial performance - not political party.”  Unfortunately, the Judicial Performance Commission reviews - despite the generally good intentions of the participants in the process - have NOT provided an effective, substantive evaluation of the performance of our courts, particularly at the highest levels.

The Denver Post article has done readers a disservice by casting the retention elections in partisan terms. This is absolutely NOT a partisan issue - we can (and apparently do) agree on that.  Rather,it is a matter of the justices upholding the Constitution and the rule of law (important to ALL parties).

Also, it is inaccurate to assert that the Attorney General stated that “he would not vote for retention for any of the Colorado Supreme Court Justices who were originally appointed by a Democrat.”  In fact, he stated that he would vote “NO” on 3 out of the 4 justices appointed by Governor Romer (and would vote yes on Justice Nancy Rice). The Denver Post article said as much.

We need to protect the importance of our highest court to ensure that is does not get subverted to a partisan agenda on either side. Unfortunately, at least 3 out of the 4 justices (CTBC would argue that it’s 4 for 4) have consistently displayed in their rulings that they endorse such a role for the judiciary.  This behavior should not be tolerated from our justices - vote “NO” on their retention in November 2010. Clear The Bench, Colorado!

Clear The Bench Colorado exists not to attack our institutions, but to defend them - including the “Missouri Plan” that mixes judicial appointments with retention elections, in a well-intentioned attempt to minimize politicization of the judiciary.  Unfortunately, the politicization of the Colorado judiciary has long since been perpetrated by the unconstitutional rulings and pursuit of personal agendas by the four (now, three) ’unjust justices’ of the Mullarkey Majority (Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, and Nancy Rice - Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey quit rather than be held accountable) who are facing the voters in this November’s retention elections.

Exercise YOUR right to vote “NO” on the 4 ‘unjust justices’ of the Mullarkey Majority (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 being seized through eminent domain abuse, and your right to enjoy the benefits of the rule of law, instead of suffering rule by an oligarchy of activist, agenda-driven “justices.”  Please help support Clear The Bench Colorado with your own comments (Sound Off!), your contributions, and your “NO” vote on retaining these unjust justices in November 2010!

Need more reasons why voting “NO” on the four Colorado Supreme Court justices up for re-election this year are the MOST important votes you can cast in this very important year for Colorado Politics?

Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold discussed the impact of Colorado Supreme Court rulings leading to a massive expansion of government power (at the expense of YOUR constitutional rights) and vastly increased taxation (such as the “Mill Levy Tax Freeze” property tax increase, the “Dirty Dozen” tax increases and of course the Colorado Car Tax (er, “vehicle registration fee”) increase, along with the dominant role of the Colorado Supreme Court in determining the boundaries of our legislative districts (at both the State and Federal level) - deciding how YOU will be represented in Congress and in the Colorado Legislature - on the Jon Caldara radio show Wednesday May 12th.

Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold also discussed the recent formation of a heavily-funded (but unaccountable to the public) organization formed specifically to defend incumbent judges as a counter to the growing momentum and success of Clear The Bench Colorado in raising public awareness of the issue of judicial accountability, as well as the “cheap political stunt” of the groundless “campaign finance complaint” filed by the left-wing attack group “Colorado Ethics Watch” (CEW, pronounced “sue” - it’s what they do) and the Colorado Secretary of State office’s characterization of the CEW complaint and CEW Director Luis Toro’s comments as “disingenuous” (which is a polite way of saying, “lying through his teeth”).

Listen to the podcast of the show

The Colorado Supreme Court - and particularly, the Chief Justice - exercises enormous power (”clout”) over the lives of Colorado citizens.  The current majority has repeatedly demonstrated that it does not exercise this power with restraint or consideration for your constitutional rights - ruling consistently against individual protections and in favor of expanded government power.  Upholding tax increases (such as the “Mill Levy Tax Freeze” property tax increase, or the “Dirty Dozen” new tax laws) imposed without the required vote of the people, enabling taxes to be collected under the guise of “fees” (such as the Colorado Car Tax), expanding eminent domain abuse to seize people’s property, and grabbing the (legislative) power to draw up voting districts (aided by the recent “Mary-mandering” bill) - this court is acting like rulers, with you as the subjects; re-writing the laws, instead of upholding them.

Be a citizen, not a subject - exercise your right to vote “NO” this November on the four ‘unjust justices’ of the Colorado Supreme Court’s “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 home or business against seizure via eminent domain abuse, your right to be fairly represented in the legislature and Congress, and your right to enjoy the benefits of the rule of law, instead of suffering under rule by activist, agenda-driven “justices.”  Support Clear The Bench Colorado with your comments (Sound Off!) and your contributions - and vote “NO” on giving these unjust justices another 10-year term!

The resurgence of “We The People” in the form of local citizens banding together in grassroots civic action organizations to defend our constitutional rights is THE continuing political story of the year 2010 in America and is profoundly affecting Colorado Politics in this year and beyond…

Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold is both proud and humbled to have been invited as a guest speaker to several such groups over the last several months - beginning with the massive (7000+) crowd at the first Tax Day Tea Party rally at the Denver Capitol and continuing through several events throughout the Spring (examples here, and here), Summer (examples here, here, and here) Fall (examples here, here, here, here, and here) and Winter (examples here, and here) of 2009 - we’re back for more in 2010, most prominently at the Tax Day Tea Party rallies on April 15th.

The Grassroots Revival continues.  Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold is speaking this evening (Monday) at the Broomfield 9.12 Project meeting at the Wildgrass Clubhouse in Broomfield starting at 7:00PM.

Join Clear The Bench Colorado and the Grassroots Revival in restoring “power to the people” - get active, get involved, raise your voice and help to restore accountability to the Colorado judiciary by exercising YOUR RIGHT to vote “NO” on the four unjust justices of the Colorado Supreme Court’s Mullarkey Majority (Justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, Nancy Rice, and - last but not least - Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey) who need YOUR approval to continue taking away your rights: your right to vote on tax increases, your right to defend your home and business against eminent domain abuse, and your right to enjoy the benefits of the rule of law, not suffer under rule by activist, agenda-driven “justices.”  Support Clear The Bench Colorado with your voice (Sound Off!),  your contributions, and your “NO” vote to remove these unjust justices on election day this November!

Clear The Bench Colorado celebrated “May Day” this weekend with the “May Day at the Runway” fundraiser (er, FUN-raiser) - proving (yet again - after the “Won’t Get Fooled Again” event) that giving money to a great cause need not be boring.  It can even be educational - did you know, for example, that May 1st is also (appropriately enough) Law Day?

One of the fun (and educational) contests we held was a Colorado Supreme Court trivia contest - which we’re now sharing with our online reading audience.  Answer the following questions in the comments section (below) to qualify for Clear The Bench Colorado schwag (T-shirts, bumper stickers, etc.) - contest ends the same day as the end of the legislative session (May 12th) when your life, liberty, and property will be safe(r) once more.

20 Questions with Clear The Bench Colorado:

1. What Colorado Supreme Court ruling was the inpiration for the launch of Clear The Bench Colorado?  (Bonus Point for actual full name of the case as filed)

2. When did Clear The Bench Colorado take off as an organized effort (the “CTBC Birthday” month)?

3. Name 3 of the “Dirty Dozen” tax increases?

4. Where is the Colorado Supreme Court currently located?  (Offices and courtrooms)

5. What was the first tax increase to exploit the “April Fools” briefing to the JBC?

6. What two taxes (er, “fees”) did Governor Ritter propose to “balance the budget” that riled up Colorado gun owners last Fall?

7. What recent court victory for individual rights of self-defense may yet be appealed and end up before the Colorado Supreme Court?

8. What does the HB10-1408 (Repeal Congressional Districting Criteria) Bill  mean for Colorado?

9. Which Colorado Supreme Court decision expanded the abuse of Eminent Domain powers to include extraterritorial condemnation?

10. Which Supreme Court case violated TABOR by allowing taxes to be disguised as “fees”?

11. Who are the 4 Current Colorado Supreme Court justices up for retention vote?

12.  How will the vote appear on the ballot?

13.  What percentage of the time (since 1967) have the Performance Review Commissions recommended for retention of incumbent judges?

14.  Who appoints the members of the Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission?

15. How many names must be submitted for each opening from which the governor makes a selection?

16. How many new “fees” make up the Colorado Car Tax?  (Bonus: Name them)

17.  How many years of increases are in the Colorado Car Tax?

18.  What was the case that grabbed the power to decide “appropriate” levels of school funding away from elected school boards and the General Assembly?

19.  What event was the YouTube video debut for Clear The Bench Colorado?

20.  What is the name of the Clear The Bench Colorado celebrity spokespup, and what was her testimony to the Senate Finance Committee in opposition to one of the “Dirty Dozen” tax increases?

(Provide answers in the Comments section, below - provide your contact information either in the comment body or separately via E-mail or contact form)

Answer the call; exercise your right to vote “NO” on the 4 Colorado Supreme Court unjust 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 home or business from eminent domain abuse, and your right to enjoy the benefits of the rule of law, instead of suffering under rule by activist, agenda-driven “justices.”  Help to support Clear The Bench Colorado with your comments (Sound Off!) and your contributions - and vote “NO” on retaining these unjust justices on the bench for another 10-year term!

The resurgence of “We The People” in the form of local citizens banding together in grassroots civic action organizations to defend our constitutional rights is THE continuing political story of the year 2010 in America and is profoundly affecting Colorado Politics in this year and beyond…

Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold is both proud and humbled to have been invited as a guest speaker to several such groups over the last several months - beginning with the massive (7000+) crowd at the first Tax Day Tea Party rally at the Denver Capitol and continuing through several events throughout the Spring (examples here, and here), Summer (examples here, here, and here) Fall (examples here, here, here, here, and here) and Winter (examples here, and here) of 2009 - we’re back for more in 2010, most prominently at the Tax Day Tea Party rallies on April 15th.

The Grassroots Revival continues.  Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold is speaking this evening (Monday) at the RALY (Reviving America’s Legacy) meeting at the Summitview Community Church in Fort Collins starting at 6:30PM.

Join Clear The Bench Colorado and the Grassroots Revival in restoring “power to the people” - get active, get involved, raise your voice and help to restore accountability to the Colorado judiciary by exercising YOUR RIGHT to vote “NO” on the four unjust justices of the Colorado Supreme Court’s Mullarkey Majority (Justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, Nancy Rice, and - last but not least - Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey) who need YOUR approval to continue taking away your rights: your right to vote on tax increases, your right to defend your home and business against eminent domain abuse, and your right to enjoy the benefits of the rule of law, not suffer under rule by activist, agenda-driven “justices.”  Support Clear The Bench Colorado with your voice (Sound Off!),  your contributions, and your “NO” vote to remove these unjust justices on election day this November!