Palin Pick to Be Alaska's 2nd Female on High Court

[Right Wing]

JUNEAU, Alaska -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has appointed a state judge who once served on the board of Planned Parenthood to the state Supreme Court, against the urgings of a conservative group who claimed the pick would put "another activist" on the court.
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Morgan Christen, 47, will be the second woman to serve on the state's high court. Former Gov. Tony Knowles appointed current Chief Justice Dana Fabe in 1996.
Christen was one of two judges recommended for the post by the Alaska Judicial Council, an independent citizen's commission that evaluates judicial appointments for the governor.
Palin said she had "every confidence that Judge Christen has the experience, intellect, wisdom and character to be an outstanding Supreme Court justice."
But the Alaska Family Council, a conservative Christian group that advocates against gay marriage and abortion rights, had said Christen was the more liberal of the two choices. Palmer Superior Court Judge Eric Smith was the other applicant.
The group said Smith would be more inclined "to turn back the tide of activism" while Christen would side with other justices against laws like the one struck down in 2006 requiring girls 16 and younger to obtain parental consent to receive an abortion.

Newsmax.com - Palin Pick to Be Alaska's 2nd Female on High Court

Okay, for the sake of arguement. let's say since Christen served on the board of Planned Parenthood in the 90s before they started performing abortions in Alaska, she may not be a radically pro abortion activist judge on the Alaska Supreme Court. However, it's not just the negative stigma of her serving on P.P. board in the mind of a pro-lifer. The issue also is the fact out of the two choices, Christen and Smith, the Alaska Family Council believes Christen would be more liberal and be the one to be against parental notification laws.

I am confused and disturbed by Palin's choice (no pun intended).

Could Palin be yet another Republican to drink the leftist Koolaid?

[Psyclist]

More information is needed.

[peapod]

More information is needed.

I agree. If I had to make a comment on her choosing a more liberal judge on the information here, I'd say Palin was doing it to gain "popularity".

Damn it, this is not a popularity contest! Or at least it shouldn't be. I don't want some superlative running the country. I want someone who knows how to run the country.

We already have the world's biggest mistake in the oval office right now... that should be the biggest lesson to any conservative.

[Right Wing]

In Alaska, Palin has to follow the same kind of process, as Peter Andrew explains, via Legal Newsline:

Palin has a month and a half to choose the next member of Alaska’s State Supreme Court. The problem is the two choices she has to pick from are justices who don’t align with her conservative views. Alaska’s judges are selected using the Missouri Plan, which combines election and appointment in choosing the judge. The Alaska Judicial Council selects the nominees from which the governor can then make an appointment. A total of six judges applied, but only two were elected by the Judicial Council, Eric Smith, considered very liberal, and Morgan Christen, who is viewed as more of a moderate.

Creative Minority thinks that assessment is backwards:

And from what I understand, neither option was great but of the two, it would appear that Palin may have picked the more liberal of the two, at least according to Alaska Family Council’s Jim Minnery. Minnery wrote Palin in support of the other candidate, Judge Eric Smith saying Smith was “more conservative” and that Christen would be “another activist on the Court.”
This would not seem to be good news for those who love Sarah. There’s one thing conservatives take seriously - and that’s judges.

And the ADN explains that Palin has issues with both:

Aides to the governor wouldn’t answer questions about specific concerns that might have prompted the governor’s request. However, both Christen and Smith have been involved in organizations that might give Palin pause.
Christen’s application included her membership in several charitable groups, including some from her past, but did not mention that she was on the board of Planned Parenthood in the mid-1990s. The organization, which didn’t provide abortions in Alaska until 2003, is now on the opposite side of a Palin-supported bill to require girls under 17 to get parental consent for an abortion.
Back in the 1980s, Smith was executive director of the public interest environmental law firm, Trustees for Alaska. The group currently is on the opposite side of Palin over the listing of Cook Inlet beluga whales as endangered.

Which was worse, Christen or Smith? It sounds like Palin didn’t have much of a choice in any case. She could have pushed back by refusing to appoint either, but her predecessor tried that and got roasted for it. I’d have hoped that Palin would have at least attempted to press the AJC to give her a better range of nominees from which to choose.
This case demonstrates the problem with establishing independent boards to provide essentially political decisions. The people of Alaska elected Palin to make these kinds of choices, and at least she has direct accountability to them. The AJC has no accountability for making bad decisions at all. Maybe Alaskans should consider a more direct system instead.
Update: Conservatives 4 Palin have more on this. They’re complaining in the comments that they had it first, but I got the email from the other two sites and worked off of their sites. Happy to link and we do our best to credit the sources, but we dance with the ones that brung us, fellas.

Hot Air Blog Archive Heartache: Palin appoints former Planned Parenthood board member to Supreme Court

[Right Wing]

Conservatives4Palin.com: UPDATED: Governor Palin Fills Supreme Court Vacancy

[Psyclist]

From lifenews.com:

"...Minnery said Smith was "more conservative" and that Christen would be "another activist on the Court." He said that was a best guess from among pro-life leaders, but that he didn't have hard evidence to back up that assessment...

Minnery says he is not upset with Palin and says the fault lies with the Judicial Council for sending her no candidates that his group could really get behind. he says Palin should have had the option of selecting the best person for the job rather than being limited to the choices the Council sent her."

Sarah Palin Criticized by Pro-Life Group For Latest Appointment to Supreme Court

[Bucks]

Change comes slowly.

It looks like the system needs an overhaul, but the libs have a way of getting their say in a "stacked" procedure.

Just a note, Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor although HE probably had more choice than Palin.

.

[Psyclist]

AK's judicial appointment process is bogus if you ask me. The Governor should have free rein to pick whom she pleases. Having a judicial council screen the applicants reduces her authority to carry out her publicly mandated policies.

[MrViews90]

Sarah Palin:
31% increase in state spending
Tax increases on the oil industry
Support for unions
pro-choice judges

[Right Wing]

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