Aberdeen Daily World

Endorsements

Alexander is a judicious judge

Thursday, September 14, 2006 — Gerry Alexander, the best chief justice in the history of the Washington Supreme Court, needs your vote. Radio and TV ads being aired down the stretch on behalf of his opponent in the Sept. 19 primary election would have you believe that Alexander coddles killers, condones drunken driving and, at 70, is flirting with senility.

Pollsters say everyone tells them they dislike negative campaigning. The problem is that it usually works.

If there's any justice in the world, this sleazeball stuff will backfire badly this time.

That we're seeing below-the-belt tactics in judicial contests is symptomatic of what ails us: It's the politics of polarization and the searing sound bite.

The conservative mantra is that we need to boot all of the "activist" judges. The liberals, meantime, jabber about pluralism and "The American Way."

What they all want is activist judges. Just depends on whose ox is being gored.

What we all deserve and need is justice without fear, favor or ideology.

Alexander can't be pigeon-holed. Drawing on three decades of diverse judicial experience, he brings to the bench a first-class legal mind and a track record for integrity.

Personable and outgoing, while maintaining the decorum of the court, Alexander is a historian and sought-after speaker, a teacher and moderator. He has worked hard to demystify the court and played a key role in bringing together judges, lawyers and media representatives to develop consensus on pre-trial publicity to ensure fair trials while at the same time promoting openness. Yet he didn't hesitate to rule against media interests in an important case involving public record requests. He is nobody's handmaiden.

To twist Alexander's general statement of support for a colleague accused of drunken driving into the suggestion that he tolerates alcohol abuse is a really cheap shot. To take a complex case involving felony murder statutes and translate it into a cavalier attitude toward victims of violent crime is cheaper yet.

And the notion that he's "tired," "sloppy" and mistake prone, as the Building Industry Association of Washington would have you believe in its hit pieces, is preposterous.

We've seen Alexander in action for decades. He shows no sign whatsoever of slowing down. His 33 years of experience, in fact, make him hands down the better qualified candidate in this race.

Alexander's opponent, John Groen, has zero judicial experience and, despite his protestations to the contrary, he certainly appears to be in the hip pocket of developers.

Groen came across as bright and aggressive, yet even-handed, in our editorial board debate. But it's appalling that he isn't decrying the ads his big-bucks backers are running against Alexander. To us, that speaks volumes about his temperament for the high court.

We don't need judges with agendas.

We believe Gerry Alexander is a truly judicious judge.

You get to be the jury.

VotingforJudges.org, P.O. Box 1460, Silverdale, WA  98383
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