Speedo Sinks Alaska Gov’s Appointee
Amid a firestorm of gasps, giggles, and moral outrage, Alaska’s Governor Bill Walker (I) has withdrawn from consideration an appointee to the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct. Jeff Landfield’s own conduct came under scrutiny after several Facebook photos came to light, which the governor’s spokesperson Grace Jang said were “disrespectful” and “misogynistic,” a characterization Landfield disputes. No specific images were cited, but Landfield’s personal Facebook page is a cornucopia of party pics, poolside Las Vegas romps, and boozy musings. The position Landfield hoped to take for the Walker administration handles complaints filed against state judges – an unpaid appointment which…
GOP Tries to Stack the Courts
When you can’t win, change the rules. I’ve wondered why our legislators have spent the better part of their time on bills likely to struck down as unconstitutional. They are trying to rewrite our constitution to hand public money to schools, deny women reproductive justice and deny citizens the right to weigh in on resource development. Lawmakers will vote on bills that they know will end up in court. That takes money that they don’t have to pay for on either side. Maybe we need an amendment that requires those who vote for bills deemed unconstitutional have to pay the…
If at First You Don’t Succeed…
Sean Parnell is trying again. The thing he seems to be having trouble with is appointing the newest member of the Alaska Judicial Council. The council vets applicants for judicial vacancies, and evaluates judges’ performance on the job. Last time governor SP 2.0 gave it a shot, he picked Don Haase. Mr. Haase as you may remember was not particularly fond of… er… um… “romantic relations” that fall outside the legal union of marriage. He was all about criminalizing adultery, and possibly even premarital sex. He did not indicate whether stoning until dead would be the method of punishment, or…