May 16, 2006 Primary Election

If a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing badly

 So said G. K. Chesterton. This is not an endorsement of doing things poorly. It's just another way of saying that if something needs to be done, then it needs to be done, whether or not you think you are doing it masterfully.

 We hope to eventually do a masterful job of producing PEAPAC's Judicial Candidates Voters Guide. When that day arrives, we will honor Judge William C. Beers by dedicating our work to him and his memory. He was an outstanding Christian man and District Court judge here in Oregon.

 Today we are doing a necessary job, but doing it "badly," because it is so important that it gets done in any fashion. Crawling comes before walking, and then finally running. But there are some who are actively trying to prevent us from even crawling!

Unknown Activist Judges

 Moses recounts the selection of judges for the people of God in Deuteronomy 1:13. He said "Take your wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you." Known among your tribes. The problem is that most of the judicial candidates are absolutely unknown to us! And these unknown judges have wielded more and more power in our lives as they make law from the bench.

 Judges are to enforce the laws that Legislators make. But in just this past year judges, not lawmakers, have drastically curtailed private property rights, overturned laws prohibiting live sex shows in Oregon, and decided that parents have no right to oversee the sexual education of their children.

 We need to know if those running for judicial office are going to engage in a radical agenda of legislating from the bench, of moving our culture in directions that our lawmakers would never take us.

 But they won't tell us. They have erected a high wall around themselves, known as the Oregon Code of Judicial Conduct (www.osbar.org/rulesregs/cjc.htm). Surely a code is necessary. But the way it is currently written and enforced makes it nearly impossible for candidates to tell us if they approve or disapprove of the radical judicial activism cited above. Were a judicial candidate to tell us what he thinks about these disastrous decisions, he may be punished for violating the Code, endangering his career.

 We worked hard to come up with a fairly innocuous ten question survey for judicial candidates. They all could have answered at least half of the questions, but a number said they weren't allowed to answer them. We followed up with phone calls to them. Still, we only received one survey back with any answers! Our hope was to publish all 80 candidates' responses, but we can't because we didn't get them.

 We need to tear down the wall of anonymity that cloaks judicial candidates. We need to have judges known to us!

The Basis for Our Endorsements

1. Christian attorneys' evaluations of the candidates.
2. Internet research into endorsements, associations,
opinions and judicial records.
3. Recommendations and information from other
groups such as Oregon Right to Life, and Crime
Victims United of Oregon.
4. Personal conversations with those candidates who
would speak with us directly.

How To Use This Guide

1. Don't vote for a candidate just because he is the only one running. If there is a significant under-vote this will help us to change some of the ways these elections are held.
2. Someone may not be known to us, but may well be known to you. If there are candidates we should have endorsed, please let us know. This will help improve our guide in the future.
3. The Appeals and Supreme Courts are elected by all of us. The Circuit Court judges are elected by district. (For an overview of Oregon's courts, see www.ojd.state.or.us/aboutus/courtsintro/index.htm) The Appeals and Supreme Courts have power to set policy and support or circumvent laws. But the Circuit Court can be a stepping stone towards these positions. Have a long-term view and understand as much as you can about the Circuit Court candidates in your district.