Posted by Dan Ewert : 10/08/2002 12:30:00 AM (Archive Link)
You’ve probably already read about the recent events in New Jersey. Current Senator Robert Torricelli withdrew from the election for the express purpose of not endangering the Democratic majority in the Senate. The polls showed he was a sure bet to lose, so “the Torch” ducked out while he still could and let a better candidate take a shot. The problem was that the move was illegal. According to New Jersey law, you can’t fill vacancies after the 51st day prior to the election. When Torricelli left the race, it was well after that. The state’s Democratic committee came up with a replacement and the case went before the N.J. Supreme Court who said it was ok. However, they didn’t give any more of a reason than that they were liberally interpreting the law. What’s sad about this is they went against the very purpose of the law. It was constructed so as to prevent somebody from dropping out and being replaced just because they’re doing poorly in the polls. It was also meant to provide a smooth election process for the counties when it comes to ballots. The Court, however, threw all this out the window and appointed themselves the new Legislature by utterly recreating the law. It’s sad. The Democrats have given the excuse that the Court was right in its decision because it allows a fair fight between two opponents. They act as if Torricelli died or dropped out due to illness instead of dropping out so he wouldn’t lose. They had a fair fight and they were afraid to face it. It disgusts me, really.

Another aspect of this ordeal that is particularly abhorrent is that all the justices on the N.J. Supreme Court had conflicts of interest. Every one of them fit into one of several categories: A) they contributed directly to Torricelli’s campaign B) they contributed to his PAC C) they contributed to past campaigns for replacement candidate Frank Lautenberg D) they contributed to a PAC that contributed to Torricelli’s campaign or E) a combination of the preceding options. You can read about it here. Simply put, the fix was in. In a proper judiciary world, they would have all recused themselves and sent the case to Federal court. What’s really surprising (or maybe it isn’t) is that this information has gotten zero notice in the mainstream media. Personally, I think it’s the most galling aspect of it all.