Various California newspapers are now reporting that Superior Court Judge James P. Arguelles, who granted more time for the gubernatorial recall petition last November due to the health crisis, was formerly a law firm colleague of the attorney for the recall committee, Bradley Benbrook. The story interviews experts on legal ethics, who say that this is not necessarily a problem, although many expressed the opinion that the judge could have at least acknowledged the relationship before he ruled, and could have asked if either side had any objections. See the story here.
California judges, both federal and state, were inconsistent during 2020 on whether the health crisis justified extending ballot access relief. The Common Sense Party asked for relief in both federal and state court, but lost both cases. Two presidential candidates who tried to use the independent presidential petition procedure, Don Blankenship (Constitution Party) and Joseph Kishore (Socialist Equality Party) also asked for relief in federal courts in California but did not receive any relief.
By contrast, courts in D.C., Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Utah, and Virginia, all granted relief.
That’s what corruption is all about. Finding people to network with to get things done quickly without confrontation. Corruption can be good or bad. A lawyer that gets you off the hook by personally knowing a judge is good corruption. lol
Those two candidates would have come nowhere close to qualifying for the CA ballot even if the COVID hysteria never happened.
Note that two state wide ballot initiatives, one about plastic, and the other to expand the types of games available at American Indian casinos, did get extensions on the deadline in California. Both of them had already collected a significant number of petition signatures prior to the COVID lockdowns.
I do not believe thar the Common Sense Party would have qualified for the CA ballot via voter registrations even if the COVID hysteria had not happened. The Common Sense Party did put in some effort, but even so, they were not on track to make it.
Agree on both points.
It should not matter if the plaintiffs are likely to qualify or not if they are given relief. If they get relief and they still don’t qualify, at least everyone was treated the same.
I suppose the judge could have granted SOME relief, but I do not think Blankenship or Kilgore would have made it anyway, and the same with the Common Sense Party.
True.
To both.