I don't wanna get in trouble or turn this into a political discussion, but this is important to me, and hopefully it is important for some of you...
From Charles W. Colson
Chairman, Prison Fellowship Ministries
The Supreme Court of the State of Florida, seven judges, all appointed by Democratic governors, has, on its own motion, ordered Katherine Harris, the Florida Secretary of State, not to carry out her statutory duty and announce on Saturday (Nov. 18, 2000) the winner of the presidential election in Florida and, thus, the winner of the presidential election.
By what authority does the Court do this? With no appeal before it, the Court acted on its own motion.
Editorials in Florida have strongly condemned the Court’s action. To challenge a voting process in the courts is to attack the very cardinal principle of self-government. People have the right to elect their representatives without judicial interference. If after the process there are allegations of fraud or questions of statutory interpretation, then the Court could, in proper order, review it.
What the Court in Florida has done is to inject itself into the very heart of the self-governing process. This is a case of judicial usurpation, the arrogance of power of the unelected, black-robed, new leaders of American society. It is the very thing that I, Robert Bork, Russell Hittinger, Hadley Arkes, Robert George, and Richard Neuhaus wrote about in the controversial "End of Democracy" series in the journal First Things in 1996. We warned then that judges would be usurping the right of the people to govern for themselves, which is at the very heart of the American political contract entered into by our Founders.
This not only smacks of judicial usurpation, but it also smacks of partisanship. The media has been quick to point out that Secretary of State Katherine Harris, though she is acting on the advice of career officials and a Democratic law firm, is a partisan. She may well be, but the same media have said almost nothing about the seven judges.
If we’ve learned anything in recent years, it’s that judges are as susceptible to public pressure as anyone else. If anyone wants to register their protest, they can call any or all of the following:
Chief Justice Charles T. Wells
850-921-1096
Justice Leander J. Shaw, Jr.
850-488-0208
Justice Major B. Harding
850-414-7643
Justice R. Fred Lewis
850-488-0007
Justice Harry Lee Anstead
850-488-2281
Justice Barbara J. Pariente
850-488-8421
Justice Peggy A. Quince
850-922-5624
Not only are these judges interfering in the electoral process, they are giving further evidence that we have become a country of the courts, by the courts, and for the courts. I would not tell anyone what to do, but I’ve made my phone calls.
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a.. General e-mail for the Florida Supreme Court: supremecourt@flcourts.org
b.. For substantive contact with the Florida Supreme Court: Craig Waters for the Supreme Court, (850) 414-7641, s/c 994-7641, watersc@flcourts.org
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Text of the Florida Supreme Court ruling, issued on Friday, November 17, 2000, barring Flordia Secretary of State Katherine Harris from carrying out her statutory duty of announcing election results on Saturday:
"In order to maintain the status quo, the Court, on its own motion, enjoins the Respondent, Secretary of State and Respondent, the Elections Canvassing Commission, from certifying the results of the November 7, 2000 presidential election, until further notice of this Court. It is NOT the intent of this Order to stop the counting and conveying to the Secretary of State the results of absentee ballots or any other ballots."
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-Michelle
The best laid plans are in my other pants. -- Newsboys
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