Letters: Constitutional amendment would be method to gerrymander; Where’s the proof?

Constitutional amendment would be method to gerrymander

Members of the Pennsylvania legislature are trying to pass a constitutional amendment that would change how we elect Supreme Court justices and other Appellate Court judges. Instead of electing them statewide, the General Assembly would decide by drawing districts for each justice and judge. If it passes in both houses, we will see this proposed amendment on our primary ballot in May.

This constitutional amendment would enable the legislatures to have control over district lines, giving them undue power over how judges are elected, and which judges are elected. It would enable them to stack each district, and the courts as a whole, in favor of one party or another.

Voting on judges by regions is a method to gerrymander the judiciary and makes it even more partisan than the current statewide election system makes it. At least with the current system, everyone has an equal say in who the appellate judges will be.

This proposed amendment opens our courts up to partisan power grabs. Statewide courts make statewide decisions about our lives and our communities that impact every resident of the commonwealth. They should serve all residents, not political or regional constituencies. And thus every voter should be able to vote for every one of them, not just a few of them.

Where’s the proof?

On Jan. 24 I read a letter written by Matthew Brennan, U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson’s chief of staff. This letter was so pathetic it made me want to forget it. But I cannot!

It began with the rationale of why on Jan. 6 Thompson objected to the certification of Pennsylvania’s electoral votes based on “concerns” (note: not proof) “over processes and unequal application of the commonwealth’s voting laws during the 2020 election.” It would seem that since these concerns were so great that Thompson, who was elected on the same ballot, would, as a man of honor, with such deep concerns, refuse to be seated and re-take his solemn oath of office because the election was flawed. Yet we know he accepted the validity of his own election, without hesitation and took the oath of office. The letter continues with a statement about an 1887 law that gave constitutional rights to question such electoral outcomes and that Nancy Pelosi used it twice. No cause or reason only that a double standard was used. The rest of the letter decries the behavior at the Capitol and justifies Thompson’s actions. No question he had the constitutional right to question the election, but he should have offered proof rather than concerns. After all, 60 court cases referring to ballot concerns were presented, heard and rejected because of lack of proof! Thompson and all the Pennsylvanian Representatives might have given proof or substance rather than conjecture.

‘Power grab’ attempts need to be stopped

There are supposed to be three equal and independent branches of government – executive, legislative and judicial. Yes, and let me emphasize equal. At present, however, the Pennsylvania legislature is attempting to usurp powers from the other two branches.

First, with no public input, and less than an hour of deliberation, the legislature is trying to pass HB38, a constitutional amendment to have state courts be elected through their very own choice of carving out districts rather than being elected statewide. This allows districts to be drawn by the party in power, and renders the judicial branch beholding to its district constituents and donors. Hardly independent thereafter.

Second, the legislature is trying to strip any governor of emergency powers without legislative oversight. This is a usurpation of the power of the executive branch.

Several of these same legislators are those who perpetuated the big lie of voter fraud, and fueled the flames of the Jan. 6 insurrection. They wanted to throw out all of the state’s votes. They could not find election fraud, and their procedural arguments were thrown out of court, yet they persisted in trying to sow doubts about the free and fair election.

Tell your legislators to vote NO on HB38, and NO on constraining gubernatorial emergency powers. This is a naked power-grab by dishonest legislators that needs to be halted.