The party is well and truly over

At last week’s meeting of the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society Chief Justice Thomas E. Brennan (retired) delived a speech I promised I’d share when it became available: “The Party is Over.”.

It is available now. And, you can read it here at his blog, "OldJudgeSays."

Brennan is clearly at the height of his powers in this reasoning that calls for the Michigan Supreme Court to LEAD in the process of weaning judicial candidates from the teat of party nominations and support. Let them get their names on the ballot the same way local and Court of Appeals judges do: through voter signatures. The problem remans that they might pay organizations to do the work for them instead of having it done by motivated volunteers…much the same way Valerie White entered the Court of Appeals race to draw votes away from Diane Hathaway in 2006. That was to preseve Brian Zahra’s hold on the seat. Can anyone say Roy Schmidt?

Oh, yeah, it’s all in the book. And we think we’re still going to make our publication deadline, but it’s going to be close.

But meanwhile, read what Justice Brennan has to say. He writes he’s been making this argument for more than 40 years. And it all starts with this recognition: “Money begets power and power begets money. That’s why partisan politics is all about money.”

Thank you, Mr. Justice.

–David