Palin Picking a Supreme Court Justice: A Miss Congeniality Contest Among the Left

Whoever the blogger is at mudflats, they, he, she, or whatever, needs to understand, picking a judge is not a popularity contest. Miss Congeniality doesn't cut it and the process for picking Judges or a Justice is flawed.

Mudflats writes that Palin picked the "rock"

A side from the snazzy headline, the one thing that struck out was the blogger's proof, that Judge Morgan Christen was a good pick.

The proof:

Here’s Candidate A, “the Rock,” Morgan Christen:

Judge Morgan Christen was appointed to the superior court in Anchorage in 2001. In 2005, she was appointed Presiding Judge for the Third Judicial District. Judge Christen currently co-chairs both the Child in Need of Aid Committee and the Probate Rules Subcommittee for Involuntary Mental Health Commitments. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Rasmuson Foundation and the Alaska Community Foundation.

You can read the rest of her Rasmuson Foundation bio HERE, which includes lots of information about her volunteerism including all kinds of awards, good deeds, and positions on non-profit boards. It does not mention, nor did her application, that back in the mid-1990s she was on the board of Planned Parenthood. (insert ominous organ chord here) Despite this fact, and considerable pressure from a conservative anti-choice Christian Group called “The Alaska Family Council” to do otherwise, Palin appointed Judge Christen to the vacancy.

Despite the obvious firestorm this decision would bring down on the governor’s office, it was, for some reason, preferable than going with the other candidate.

Not one mention of any rulings on cases. None. So is this how we should choose judicial candidates? Is the system open and transparent? No.

It get's better....

The “Hard Place” also known as “Candidate B” was Palmer Superior Court Judge Eric Smith.

Back in the 1980s, Smith was executive director of the public interest environmental law firm, Trustees for Alaska. The group currently is on the opposite side of Palin over the listing of Cook Inlet beluga whales as endangered.

In addition, Smith happened to be the presiding Judge who recently granted the request of Sherry Johnston (the infamous potential mother-in-law of the governor’s unwed teen daughter Bristol) to have her trial for dealing oxycontin moved up to May 18.

Don’t you just love small towns?

There are undoubtedly other factors at play here, to which we are not privy, but the mental image of Planned Parenthood vs. Sherry Johnston and a pod of beluga whales is irresistible.

You have to love politics in Alaska, the "catty" talk among the left is amazing. But that's what you get from bloggers like mudflats. Cattiness without the substance.

If there ever should be a name for a latte for the Palin haters, it should be the "ChattyCatty" special.