LETTER TO THE EDITOR
CI-132 is very simple. It simply adds to our Montana Constitution the statement: “Judicial elections shall remain nonpartisan”
Sounds good, in fact, like a pie in the sky good. Nobody actually believes it. We would like judges to be non biased, but everyone has their own personal biases, some good, some not so good. We all know this simple fact. NOT let our voters know what they actually stand for, what their personal opinions are, or how they might rule – on any issue whatsoever. BEFORE we have to elect them to a judgeship, no less.
Voters should have the right to know, before they vote, what candidates stand for and what their positions are. Instead of hiding their positions, we should demanding that judge candidates tell us in their campaign literature what their positions are. Just like any other candidate must.
What CI-132 would allow is further hiding anyone in a judicial election from having to expose their personal positions. It actually would require those running for judgeship’s to be required (more than they already are) to Do we really need to further protect the legal monopoly that is already protected and isolated from our general citizenry in several other ways?
Russell Sias
Columbia Falls
