Napolitano selections for Maricopa County Superior Court bench predictable
There is a common denominator that jumps out, even to the most casual observer, in the recent judicial appointments made by Gov. Napolitano. The true measure of merit in the merit selection process is obviously being a registered Democrat.
Eight longtime superior court judges have recently retired. There was a mix of party affiliations among them. Napolitano has so far filled six of those vacant positions with — you guessed it! DEMOCRATS! On the exceedingly rare occasion a Republican meets with Napolitano’s favor, it’s a sure bet that candidate has exhibited squishy tendencies.
When the list of nominees is announced, the party affiliations are indicated beside each name.Those affiliations mysteriously disappear when the judges are named, since the appointment process inexplicably renders them politically neutered. The bright and shiny new Democrat trial court judges are:Dawn Bergin, Dean Fink, Hugh E. Hegyi, Samuel Myers and Randall Warner.
Merit selection proponents claim this system is flawless and worthy of citizen trust. The facts speak for themselves.
It’s enough to have us Seeing Red AZ.
Seeing Red AZ 
This is known as BAU, or Business As Usual.
The Republicans who crossed party lines to elect Napolitano, are getting their just desserts.
In my City Council District 3 election, that includes Maria Baier, whose name is prominently displayed on the Republicans for Janet website. Baier is also endorsed by Democrat Mayor, Phil Gordon.
http://www.janet2006.com/republicans/republicans.html
Baier is a lawyer and knows well the ramifications of her support for Janet Napolitano–including these overtly partisan judicial appointments. Most of these new judges are in their 30’s and early 40’s and have the ability to make decisions that will impact Arizonans for many years.
This is merit selection?
Don’t the majority of counties in Arizona elect their judges? I know they do in Yavapai where we previously lived. It works out very well.
What is the term of these judges? Is it four or six years?
Are you kidding? They stand for “retention” but are all retained. Their terms run from appointment to retirement.
Well, those GOP Janet supporters can now feel proud. To call this process shameful is to engage in understatement. if this is merit selection I’ll take the alternative.
I have a great idea: Since Republicans are not getting appointed, they should simply stop applying and making Napolitano’s lists appear credible. Without a politically mixed pool of applicants, it will gum up the works. For sure it would expose this sham process for what it is.
This is amazing stuff. I had no idea how this worked.
Where exactly is the merit in this listing (to the left) list? Are Republicans lacking in that quality while Democrats have it in abundance? How did we end up with this manipulated system? Does anyone know?
How do you spell snookered?
Merit selection is just a semantic euphemism for judicial activism. Just as trial attorneys have a death grip on the Democrat Party so judges have the same death grip on judicial reform. They just prevent the voter from having any recourse to remove them for incompetence or political bias from their unassailable perch. They have wormed and sleazed their way into absolute control and veto power over the people’s legislative representation… thus insulating themselves from the voters ability to remove them from office.
How fortunate are the other thirteen counties who elect their judges. Please Lord, return to us the ability to govern ourselves, and protect us from merit selected judges, Lord hear our prayer.
What it amounts to is that judges want to avoid having their judicial record held up for public examination. They want to make it impossible to fire them. “The less the public knows about us, the better”, seems to be their motto. These “Judicial Barons” remind me of the “Robber Barons” of my day. If I had it to do again, I would Bull Moose my way back with the campaign slogan, “Down with Merit Selection”. I would sweep the rascals from their lofty perch! Let me at them. Where’s my stick?
The Honorable Judge so-and-so. Give me a break. There is nothing honorable about this out of control branch of our government. Can’t anything be done about them? Anyone have an answer? HELP!
These political appointments clearly illustrate the problems inherent in this system.
I’ve lived in Phoenix a long time, and remember that this merit selection scheme was sold to the citizens as a sure fire way of REMOVING POLITICS from the selection process. I probably voted for it back then. What a hoot!
This is not even politics with a small “p.” Gov. Napolitano’s arrogant actions in politicizing of the judiciary shines the bright light of day on the problems with the system better than any words can say.
Remember this, folks.
[…] there is much more at stake in the stark realities underlying this news. Seeing Red AZ carried a revealing look at merit selection last year. As of the 2010 census, Pinal county voters will have their ability to elect judges […]