Wednesday, September 09, 2015

7th Circuit Affirms District Court Holding Throwing Out Marion County's Judicial Election Process As Unconstitutional

A 7th Circuit Court of Appeals panel today affirmed a federal district court ruling by Judge Richard Young holding the state law under which Marion County's superior court judges are elected is unconstitutional under the First and Fourteen Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. That state law made the election of judges in Marion County the only jurisdiction in the state where primary voters are not allowed to cast votes for as many candidates that are to be elected in the general election for judicial races, or any other political office for that matter.

Common Cause brought a lawsuit contesting the law's constitutionality since it effectively gives general election voters no right to choose who they wish to serve as superior court judges; rather, the two major political parties' voters get to decide in the primary election who one-half of those elected judges in any given election will be. There is no possibility of either of the major parties' judicial candidates losing a general election, except in the very unlikely event a third-party candidate could win more votes than one of the major parties' candidates, a fete that has never occurred in the history of the law.

The 7th Circuit agreed with the district court's analysis that concluded the state law severely burdened the right to vote without justifying the state's interest in: ensuring even representation and the supposed impartiality that accompanies that even representation; holding down the costs of judicial elections; and ensuring stability and public confidence in the judiciary. The opinion relegated to a footnote discussion of Marion County's byzantine system of slating candidates under which judicial candidates are shaken down by party leaders to pay a large slating fee as a condition to receiving the party's endorsement in a primary election. Judicial candidates are asked to sign a pledge not to run in the primary if the party chooses not to slate the candidate at its party convention. Non-slated candidates virtually are rarely successfully in contesting slated candidates in a primary election.

Today's 3-panel opinion was authored by Judge Theresa Springman and joined by Judge Michael Kanne and Jude Lana Rovner. The ball is now back in Judge Young's court to finalize his permanent injunction enjoining Indiana election officials from enforcing the state statute applicable only to Marion County judicial elections. In the absence of a new law, both parties will be required to nominate the amount of candidates to be elected in the general election at the next primary election at which superior court candidates are nominated.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cool. All Democrat judges, next year.

Since the judges are generally elected across the County, and since the County is all Democrat, we can finally get rid of all the Republican outcome-based, party-beholden scum.

Anonymous said...

I stated at time of district court ruling and repeat now albeit a bit more politically correct: the sale of antacids just increased exponentially to current R judges inside the CCB; probably a shame as there are some good R judges in Marion County but also anything that shakes up the status quo in marion county republican politics can only be perceived as a good and long overdue thing

Anonymous said...

Think the next judicial election is scheduled for 2018...

Gary R. Welsh said...

Don't fear. The Republican-controlled legislature will provide a fix. They could break the county into districts to elect judges, or they might choose to adopt a merit selection system like Lake and St. Joseph Counties already have.

Anonymous said...

"Merit" systems are unconstitutional unless applied to all county offices.

Lake County is probably not as obnoxious as Marion County, so that challenge hasn't been brought, but with as dirty as Marion County politics are, any "merit" system here is just going to be the Baker, Daniels, Barnes & Thornburg Selection Committee. If the people want a judge not favored by kingmakers, it's their darn right to be able to vote for him.

"Judicial Districts?" I thought the Republicans were all about getting rid of townships, now they'd want them back? I thought the Republicans were "All County, all the time" ? The entire idea of a Superior Court is that any judge can hear any county case. Are we going to drop the Superior Court and have the Circuit Court exercise jurisdiction? They could create lots of circuits.

What a joke. Just let the people vote.

Anonymous said...

Our byzantine practices slapped down again. I hate it when Indiana is shown to be a backward, backwater in the national press. Our Judges, like our politicians, seem so out of touch with a modern world. Everyone knew the judicial slating process was flawed, even fraudulent, but nobody would fix it. So we have these Judges, these “chosen” “selected” judges. And this reputation. Seriously. What we need next is federal review of our broken judicial and attorney disciplinary committees. How long does the public and the business community have to put up with crooked, drunk, greedy, malevolent and vindictive Judges who operate with impunity? And that goes double for half our local lawyers, who long ago seemed to abandon the practice of skirting the law and just proceeded to break it full tilt any time they want. I know a lot of ethically challenged lawyers. And there is no discipline. None. Everybody knows its just a free for all out there. Its gotten really ugly. And they slap down any member of the bar that tries to speak out publicly, so nobody does. If everybody got immunity to come forward and speak freely about what they know about Judges and lawyers and crimes and misdemeanors; now that would be a scandal.

Pete Boggs said...

Get ready for more statism from Free-Dumb Indiana...

LamLawIndy said...

Both parties have A LOT invested in the current system, which -- though I admit is peculiar -- I do not believe is unconstitutional, with all due respect to the 7th Circuit. Nothing bars a person from running for PC and having influence over who gets nominated. Plus, the slate HAS been beat (Judge Brown and the late Judge Jimison proved that). I expect to see either a request for en banc rehearing or a petition for cert from the AG's office. The system may not be perfect, but I do not see how it is burdensome.