Jeb Bush quickly packing FL courts with right-wing ideologues

[seafan]

Fla. Judicial Nomination Screeners Focus on Motherhood, Philosophy

Carl Jones
Daily Business Review
May 16, 2006

The issue of improper questioning of judicial candidates emerged anew during last week's Judicial Nominating Commission interviews of applicants for a 3rd District Court of Appeal seat.
During interviews on May 9, JNC member Hector Lombana, a Coral Gables, Fla., lawyer, asked candidate Barbara Lagoa, a federal prosecutor who recently gave birth to twins, whether she felt she could balance motherhood and the workload of serving on the 3rd DCA.
The JNC chair, Ramon Abadin, later called the question "inappropriate." The panel subsequently chose Lagoa as one of six finalists it recommended to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

snip

The JNC, whose nine members were appointed by Gov. Bush, selected the six finalists from 19 judges and lawyers who had applied after two days of interviews last week. Bush now has 60 days to select one of the six candidates to replace departing 3rd DCA Judge David L. Levy. The new judge will be Bush's seventh selection to the 11-member 3rd DCA.

snip

During the interviews, JNC member Thomas R. Spencer, a Republican Party activist, asked a number of candidates about recent rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court that have been controversial among social conservatives.

snip

Candidates also were asked to name their favorite judges. Most said they admired U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., Justice Antonin Scalia or Florida Supreme Court Justice Raoul G. Cantero III. All three are Republican appointees.

JNC members also asked candidates about judicial philosophy and what they think the role of an appellate judge should be.
The candidates mostly echoed the prevailing Republican Party line on this. Nearly all said they see appellate judges serving in a limited role and not "legislating from the bench." They advocated basing decisions on a plain reading of the statutes, giving respect to precedent and the rules of statutory construction and looking to legislative intent if necessary.

snip

They don't even try to look nonpartisan any more. Let's see.... Jeb appointed the entire Judicial Nominating Commission, and these operatives make sure all judicial applicants give the *right* answers.

Jeb wants his radical legacy to live long after he is gone.


And the Jeb for President meme is already being pushed hard by the extreme right.

Folks, take a good, long look at what Jeb Bush has done to Florida.

Amplify it exponentially and add to it the virtual impossibility that we will ever fully learn of the many underhanded, secret schemes in which this family is involved.

[acmejack]

1. God help us if this joker is cued up next

We can't take another one, I'm even not sure we can survive this one.

[ChiciB1]

3. Well I Live Down Here & Have Been Doubly Blessed With Having

Cruella as my representative. If I were to post what I would like to do to most of these jerks, I'd be on a jet-flight before midnight headed for D.C. in hand-cuffs!

ICE COLD FEAR!! :scared: :scared: :scared:

[ChiciB1]

2. Been Saying This For A Very LOOONNNNGGG Time...

One reason I would love to see them all kicked out! But how do you Impeach and administration.

Don't just stop with Florida, use your imagination! The totality of damage and decay that has been perpetrated will never be uncovered. We'll probably not even get close!

[spindrifter]

4. This is exactly why there should

be two tracks to a judicial position: initial appointment if there is a vacancy, then stand for election, with election as the way in for most initial terms. In other words, a candidate can run against an incumbent.