U.S. District Judge W. Allen Pepper’s decision to order party registration and voter identification in Mississippi demonstrates why there are appellate courts.
The judge is overstepping himself.
It is one thing for the federal judge to rule that Mississippi’s longtime primary system is unconstitutional because it infringes on the rights of political parties to choose with whom they associate.
It is another for the judge to dictate that the Legislature adopt such widespread, expensive and problematic remedies as a statewide re-registration and photo voter ID - and to force Republicans, who didn’t seem to have a beef with the present primary system, to change the way they select nominees.
The Leader Call is right.
I don't know how many hundreds of times I've heard conservatives complain about "activist judges," but they sure aren't complaining now. This can not be seen as anything but legislating from the bench, something that has been condemned by many conservative legal scholars.
This looks to be a case of a Republican activist judge choosing a verdict in order to force a Republican wedge issue. The suggestion that the state start over with a brand new registration method by 2008 would be laughable if it weren't be taken seriously.
Does anyone actually think this will pass through the Justice Department? Does anyone actually care?
Although I don't agree with the decision, we shouldn't be jumping on the judge (by the way my research shows he was appointed by Clinton) he just gave our ignorant and traitorous state Democratic party leaders what they wanted. They just played right into the Republican Party hands. This smacks of another way to disenfranchise voters that may vote Democrat. Who does the State party chairs answer to? The state Democrats or the state right wingers? We need to fire and replace the whole shebang.
ReplyDeleteEarlier today a friend of mine who is a connected Jackson-based progressive activist attorney said to me that in her opinion this decision will result in more black Democrats winning primary nominations, which she believes is a good thing, but she also felt that it will mean fewer Democrats winning in general elections, which isn't good.
ReplyDeleteShe also sees this as a serious setback for liberal candidates in the state because the many social issue differences between liberals and black voters, i.e. abortion, gay marriage, etc., will become much more magnified in the new exclusive party. She predicted black primary candidates will lose no sleep using those issues to differentiate themselves from liberal whites running for the same nomination.
She also believes that VoterID will become a reality next session because powerful black members in the House place a higher priority on closing the primaries and, after a great deal of feigned outrage, will trade VoterID to achieve their goal.
Let's hope this gets overturned. I agree with Eric Clark in saying the that anything that blocks access to elections is not desirable. We don't need party registration or forced Voter ID.
ReplyDeleteI have to show i.d. to pick up my dry cleaning every week and your telling me I shouldn't have to show it to vote? We'd like to believe everyone is honest and won't lie about who they are but that's easily not the case. Wake up, voter fraud is rampant especially among Democratic voters in Mississippi. And where in the world did you get that Pepper is a Republican activist judge? That's stupid and incorrect, he was appointed by Bill Clinton AND he is a former trial lawyer. NEITHER of which suggest he might be Republican influenced.
ReplyDeleteExcellent use of talking points.
ReplyDelete...but, but I have to show ID to get my dry cleaning... :)
Well, yes but dry cleaning isn't a right and they set their own rules.
...appointed by Clinton AND a former lawyer...
oh wow, it's not like I haven't heard that 100 times. Geez come up with something new.
He was Trent Lott's roommate and the President almost always allows the home state senators to make recommendations.
Show me a judge who wasn't a lawyer and I'll show you someone who shouldn't be a judge.
A trial lawyer not just a regular lawyer. He was the president of the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, isn't this organization a Republican's best friend?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.clarionledger.com/misc/Blogs/community/redblue/2007/07/ike-browns-violations-prove-again-need.html
I'll show you of an example of what happens when you don't have voter id......