The Answer is : Justice O’Connor
Question 10. Ronald Reagan appointed the first woman to the Supreme Court in 1981. Name this Associate Justice: A. Ruth Bader Ginsberg B. Madeleine Albright C. Sandra Day O’Connor D. Joan Growe
Today I had the pleasure of meeting the answer to Question 10 of one of my Civics quizzes, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. She spoke at the Minnesota One Conference, a legislative retreat I attended with House and Senate colleagues at the Humphrey Institute on the University of Minnesota campus.
I have long been an admirer of Justice O’Connor, and it was a thrill to hear her speak. She was interesting, to-the-point, insightful, and with a dash of humor. While her luncheon speech was brief, she made clear her support for the merit selection of judges. She believes it is the best way to choose judges and keep them independent, saying it is hard for judges to remain impartial knowing their decisions will influence how long they keep their jobs. She said that the money being spent by people running for the judiciary in states that don’t have merit selection is causing people to trust judges less.
One of the questions asked of the retired justice was her opinion of the recent Supreme Court decision which allows corporate money to flood the election process. She said she doesn’t like to comment on the current court’s decisions, but she did make a point to say she had written the prior decision that they overturned.
Over the last several years, open elections of judges in other states have raised serious questions about whether such elections have preserved a “fair and independent” judiciary. In 2006, candidates for the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama spent $8.2 million in their collective campaigns. In 2004, the race for one seat on the Illinois Supreme Court cost $10 million.
The League of Women Voters of Minnesota believes Minnesota should adopt a system of merit selection and retention elections for Minnesota’s judges. The League supports initial appointment to the judiciary by the Governor from a list a candidates provided by an impartial nominating commission. A judge’s performance is evaluated at the end of his or her term by a broadly based and nonpartisan evaluation commission, whose results are made available to the public. Based upon the information provided, voters choose to retain or not retain a sitting judge.
Thanks, Justice O’Connor… for stopping by. You have given those of us in the legislature some serious food for thought. And I couldn’t agree more.
