Vote for CI-132 to keep independent judiciary
Our country has weathered many storms with a system based on three balanced branches of government: Congress, Executive and Judiciary. This ensures lively, civil debates on policy, and it makes it very difficult for any one person or group to amass a dangerous amount of power. An independent judiciary is, of course, critical to this balance.
Although judges are increasingly under pressure to see their work as political, it is not so. The work of judges is to understand, interpret and apply the law fairly. This is difficult enough without taking politics into consideration.
We citizens should respect their work; if we are unhappy with a law, we must work through public opinion and Congress. We do not ask teachers, health care professionals, attorneys, grocers or anyone else about their party affiliation – because humans are indeed able to keep service distinct from politics.
For those who use political party to gauge how a judge may rule on matters of law, looking at prior decisions is a better gauge than political party, and this information is increasingly available online.
I urge you to vote YES for CI-132 – enshrining nonpartisan judicial elections in Montana’s Constitution.
Gail Trenfield
Saint Ignatius, Montana
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