Brody's Notes... Mission From God To Unseat Judges In San Diego

San Diego District Attorney Bobbie Dumanis  

Photo Courtesy Of The San Diego District Attorney's Office

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) June 1 | In what is normally a quiet and non controversial election cycle in San Diego County, California, a group of conservative Christian activist lawyers have turned it into a battle over what both sides are calling fighting for the integrity of the judicial system.

Vowing to be God's ambassadors on the bench, the four San Diego Superior Court candidates are backed by pastors, gun enthusiasts, and opponents of abortion and same-sex marriages.

"We believe our country is under assault and needs Christian values," said Craig Candelore, a family law attorney who is one of the group's candy idates. "Unfortunately, God has called upon us to do this only with the judiciary."

San Diego's openly Lesbian District Attorney Bobbie Dumanis, says this kind of challenge aimed at packing the court threatens both the impartiality of the court system and the separation of church and state.

"Any organization that wants judges to subscribe to a certain political party or certain value system or certain way of ruling to me threatens the independence of the judiciary," Dumanis said.

The challenge is unheard of in California, one of 33 states to directly elect judges. Critics say the campaign is aimed at packing the courts with judges who adhere to the religious right's moral agenda and threatens both the impartiality of the court system and the separation of church and state.

Opponents fear the June 8 race is a strategy that could transform courtroom benches just like some school boards, which have seen an increasing number of Christian conservatives win seats in cities across the country and push for such issues as prayer in classrooms. According to Ms. Dumanis:

"Judges should be evaluated based on their qualifications and their duty to follow the law."

The campaign by California's social conservatives comes at a time when judges and scholars in many states are debating whether judges should be elected or appointed, citing the danger that campaign contributions could influence their rulings. Other states have lifted restrictions allowing judges to express their opinions publicly so people know what their biases are.

Special interest groups, including those representing gay marriage opponents, have ramped up donations for judicial races in recent years, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University's school of law.