A second initiative, Two-Thirds Majority proposes to increase the amount of "yes" votes a judge needs to receive in an uncontested retention election to a two-thirds majority. At present, judges need only obtain a simple majority of "yes" votes in an election where the judge has no opponent. This initiative applies to Colorado courts of record including county courts, district courts, the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.
Clean Up the Courts is a nonpartisan, grassroots issue committee focused on enhancing the integrity of the judicial process through judicial reform. Information and petitions to place these initiatives on the November state ballot can be found at cleanupthecourts.org.
~Rosemary Van Gorder
Fort Collins
Source:
Judicial Evaluations Need Serious Reform
Yes, it's a problem in every state.
ReplyDeleteTo paraphrase a Virginia Beach judge:
ReplyDeleteLet me just say this. I haven't read it. I looked at one paragraph and just wanted to throw it in the garbage. It's beyond me why someone who is not involved in this case would write such a complaint. Ms. [Colleen T.] Dickerson [Esquire] is a person of unquestioned integrity. Jewish Family Service of Tidewater are some of the finest people I know.
Well, if you haven't read it, judge, of course you don't understand it. Reading is an important part of the job of a judge, isn't it? Along with hearing both sides of the story, treating the elderly and disabled in a fair and impartial manner, making sure a hand-picked, in-cahoots guardian ad litem doesn't stomp all over her "client's" rights and sell her "client's" best interests down the river, and avoiding telling a party in open court that you are so convinced of the "unquestioned" integrity of Jewish Family Service of Tidewater and Colleen T. Dickerson, Esquire that you refuse to hear or understand the FACTS of their misconduct and blatant conflicts of interest.
People with integrity don't behave like this. Judges with integrity listen to both sides of the story. Judges who wish to remain on the bench demand that the attorneys who are privileged to appear before them refrain from acting like gansta mafia racketeers, PARTICULARLY when it comes to helpless elderly and disabled citizens.
This letter explained, in quite a bit of detail, the broiling Scott Schuett scandal at its inception, two and a half years ago, while a sweet elderly lady was still trapped in a Scott Schuett hellhole in direct violation of a court order, with the cooperation and assistance of her guardian ad litem, Colleen T. Dickerson, Esquire. And this Virginia Beach judge refused to read it before peremptorily deciding it had no merit whatsoever. (Google Scott Schuett for the appalling details.)
So, yes, judicial evaluations, and judicial conduct, need serious reform, starting with Virginia Beach.
I wish there was a strong advocacy org to fix this in all states.
ReplyDelete