Trust the People Not the “Experts”
July 9, 2010
In a blistering editorial, the Madison, Wisconsin Capital Times’ editor emeritus Dave Zweifel takes aim at those who “repeatedly pontificate that ‘merit’ selection of Wisconsin judges will somehow magically protect the integrity of our judiciary.” The highlights:
“While it’s undeniably true that in recent highly charged judicial elections the stench of money has served to taint the candidates, at least there was an opportunity to question and examine them at forums and debates and other campaign stops throughout the state.”
“It’s far better that those who aspire to become Wisconsin Supreme Court justices are subjected to the scrutiny of an election campaign, where the people themselves can judges the candidates’ characters. In American democracy, it’s always better to trust the people’s judgment than to turn the decision over to a group of elite ‘experts’ who will only have plenty of conflicts of their own.”
Zweifel surrounds these gems with a lot of hand wringing about his desire for public financing of judicial campaigns and the need for radical new recusal standards – two proposals which, in my view, are designed to shape the judiciary to the liking of legal elites by removing conservative judges from the bench. Nevertheless, it’s refreshing to see someone from the left who puts his faith in the people rather than legal elites.