Both Michigan's legislature and Supreme Court are in the hands of conservative Republicans.
WE NEED PROGRESSIVES ON THE COURT. These races get very little coverage in the press, and the party affiliations of the candidates are NOT indicated on the ballots, even though they are nominated by the political parties.
Basically, no normal person has any idea who these people are. It is crucial over the next three days to get the word out to vote for
Beckering and
Cavanagh.
Here is a rundown on the most progressive candidates by Michael Steinberg, the litigation director of the Michigan ACLU. (He is not speaking in an official capacity here.)
I found this at the website of Ann Arbor's local resource of resources,
Ed Vielmetti:
MIKE'S JUDICIAL PICKS FOR NON-LAWYERS - 2006
It is very difficult for non-lawyers to differentiate between candidates in judicial elections because the judicial races are allegedly "nonpartisan" and therefore the candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot. Additionally, the media rarely provides in depth coverage of the judicial races and this year is no exception.
As requested, I have again prepared a list of my endorsements for the contested judicial elections on November 7. As usual, I am picking the candidates who, in my opinion, are the most progressive. Please note that I am endorsing candidates in my individual capacity, not as a representative of the organization for which I work.
MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT
VOTE FOR JANE BECKERING AND MICHAEL CAVANAGH
This year the only contested judicial election on the Washtenaw County ballot is for the Michigan Supreme Court. There are five people running for two spots. For me, the choice is easy. I will be voting for JANE BECKERING and MICHAEL CAVANAGH - who, coincidentally, are also the top two candidates alphabetically.
Although no party affiliation is listed on the ballot for candidates in judicial races, political parties actually nominate candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court (strange but true). This year my choices were both nominated by the Democrats.
JANE BECKERING, has been voted by fellow attorneys and justices as one of the Best Lawyers in America. An example of her commitment to social justice is her service on the Board of the Michigan Migrant Legal Assistance Program. She would truly be a breath of fresh air on what is perhaps the most conservative state supreme court in the country. For more information see http://www.janebeckering.com
MICHAEL CAVANAGH has served on the Michigan Supreme Court since 1983 where he has consistently fought for civil rights and civil liberties. Currently, he is only one of two liberal voices on the Michigan Supreme Court and he deserves to be re-elected. See www.justicecavanagh.com
The Republicans have nominated incumbent Maura Corrigan, who has been hostile to civil rights and civil liberties, and Marc Shulman, a former Republican member of the state House of Representative. The Libertarian Party nominated Kerry Morgan who has worked to strip women of the right to reproductive choice. See http://www.revivetherepublic.com/....
The only chance we have of putting both Beckering and Cavanagh on the Supreme Court is if we get the word out. Feel free to print, clip and save the handy reminder below. Or, if you happen to forget to bring this reminder to the polls, just remember that if the five candidates are placed in alphabetical order, Beckering and Cavanaugh are at the top of the list.