Another victory for the people of Arizona
The Arizona Supreme Court tonight reinstated Colleen Mathis as the Chairwomen of the Independent Election Redistricting Commission. Ms. Mathis, a registered independent, was fired from her position earlier this month on directions from Governor Jan Brewer. She was charged with unsupported “gross misconduct” by the Tea Party majority in the Arizona State Senate.
It took the AZ Supreme Court less than three hours to reach its decision.
And so it should be. Anyone who has followed this unprecedented, undemocratic action taken by Governor Brewer and her Tea Party cohorts knew that it couldn’t possibly stand up in a court of law. As Paul Bender, Dean Emeritus and Professor at Arizona State University, noted in an editorial today in The Arizona Republic (written before the Supreme Court ruling) the Governor does not have the power to impeach:
Nothing resembling that kind of careful and fair procedure was a predicate to the removal of Chairwoman Mathis. The governor and the Senate thus want the Arizona Supreme Court to permit them to exercise the awesome power of impeachment without affording the procedural safeguards that impeachment requires. The court should not allow them to do that. The quality of representative democracy in Arizona during the next 10 years depends on it.
Jan Brewer lost this one, just as she lost her SB 1070 case against the US Department of Justice last month - Followed by her losing her wingnut compatriot, Sen. Russell Pearce, in a recall election last week.
The “Independent” Redistricting Commission was put into place by the people of Arizona in 2002 through an Arizona Constitutional Amendment process in order to keep redistricting decisions out of the hands of local partisan politicians. As with her stand on SB 1070 and many other Arizona initiatives, Governor Brewer has again shown that she is completely out of touch with “The People” of her state.
We all hope that these recent loses will serve as a wakeup call.
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Comments
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Then I think about some of the other reports I have heard about this redistricting plan and I wonder; is it possible that the appropriate translation for that statement might be; "We're very disappointed that the Supreme Court is unwilling us to fire anyone that won't rig the system in favor of the Republicans so that we can eliminate democracy in Arizona ASAP."
Now I wonder, if I was in Arizona may be I would take more time to read all the other articles here and elsewhere before voting for her. You know, just in case that is the right translation.
Who do you think might wake up? Jan Brewer? Even I'm not that pollyanna Steve. That would be like asking a frog to quit jumping! Brewer (and her teabagging party ilk) are anti-American idealogues with only one thing in mind - making America the oligarchy they dream of.
Evil bitch.
It's gonna happen. Then it doesn't make any difference if Brewer is going to listen to the "Wakeup Call."
The reality-based people of this state are determined to get her outa office.