Much ado has been made of Republican legislators’ attempts to reform Montana’s judiciary. Democrat politicians, left-wing activists, and many in the media have demagogued on the issue, railing against Republican “attacks” on the “non-partisan” judiciary. Even former Governor-turned-Washington-DC-lobbyist, Marc Racicot, and retired liberal Justice Jim Nelson have entered the fray.
But the reality is far different than these folks would have you believe. The fact of the matter is our Courts, by and large, are made up of former Democrat politicians and liberal political donors.
Let’s take a look at some of our “non-partisan” judges.
Mike McGrath – prior to being elected to the Supreme Court, Mr. McGrath spent over 20 years in elected office as a Democrat. He even served on the Executive Board of the Montana Democrat Party. On January 4, 2009, Mr. McGrath was the Democrat Attorney General. On January 5, 2009 he was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Do you really believe he became non-partisan overnight?
Mike Menahan – prior to being elected to the District Court in Helena, Mr. Menahan served in the legislature as a Democrat. He’s contributed thousands of dollars to more than 40 Democrat candidates for political office.
Amy Eddy – prior to being appointed to the District Court by Democrat Governor Steve Bullock, Ms. Eddy was a reliable Democrat donor for nearly a decade, contributing thousands of dollars to a myriad of Democrat Candidates.
Mike Moses – a unique case in Montana, Mr. Moses was actually appointed to the bench by Democrat Governor Steve Bullock two separate times. The first time he was appointed, Mr. Moses immediately lost his election for a full term. After being rejected by the voters of Yellowstone County, Bullock appointed Moses again to a different seat. I’m sure the fact that Moses and his wife, a well-known Democrat activist, had contributed to more than 30 Democrat candidates played no role in this special treatment.
Dirk Sandefur – prior to being elected to the Supreme Court, Mr. Sandefur ran for the legislature as a Democrat. During his election, the Montana Democrat Party illegally spent over $50,000 on his campaign and was ultimately fined thousands of dollars for their efforts to hide their support of his campaign.
These are just a few of the many examples across our judiciary.
Most Montanans have never made a single political contribution, yet our judiciary is chock-full of longtime Democrat donors. And we’re supposed to believe that doesn’t mean anything? We’re suppose to believe that these people who ran for or held office under a partisan banner suddenly changed their beliefs after taking the bench?
Let’s just be honest and admit that we have a liberal judiciary. A judiciary that has ruled the 2nd Amendment doesn’t apply on college campuses, and there is no conflict-of-interest in hearing cases brought by their own employees. A judiciary that has hidden their own emails from public disclosure while forcing other elected officials to do so. A judiciary that has proven they are willing to put their own ideological desires above the rule of law.
Let’s just be honest about the judiciary.
By: Jake Eaton
Editor’s note: Jake Eaton is an entrepreneur, investor, and Republican political consultant based in Billings, MT. Mr. Eaton is an investor in the parent company of this site.
