美国最高法庭上发生的无形变化.docVIP

美国最高法庭上发生的无形变化 Frank Szymanski likes to startle audiences by asking, Have you ever seen a naked trial judge? after which he takes off his suit coat and flings it on a chair. Dont worry, Im going to stop there, he tells them. But if you dont educate yourselves before you go into that voting booth, if you dont know who I and Judge Deborah Thomas are, we might as well be naked. You need to know that we are both circuit court judges, we care about kids, that we care about justice for everyone, and that we were nominated by the Democratic Party for the Michigan Supreme Court. Most voters likely know none of those things. Szymanski, like Thomas, was indeed nominated by the Democrats to run for the states highest court. But they are up against David Viviano and Joan Larsen, two incumbents appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to fill vacancies. The incumbents have a heavy advantage, in that they will be designated on the ballot as justices of the Supreme Court. 1027.jpg All the other candidates – Szymanski, Thomas, and any minor party candidates, will just have their names. They are Brand X, and everyone who has grown up watching TV commercials knows that Brand X is never supposed to be as good. Frank Szymanski is soldiering on and giving it his best shot. If campaigns were fought on YouTube, and judges were ranked by sense of humor, his opponent probably wouldnt have a chance. In one clip, his adorable children, 10-year-old Michelle and 7-year-old Evan, run around with a blackened dollar bill, saying no dark money! In another, their father faces an audience and asks, How many of you think justice in this state should be bought and paid for? Judge Szymanski and Judge Thomas have not, will not and cannot be bought, he tells one audience. Then he brings down the house by adding, And nobody is putting up money for us anyway. That is pretty much true. Republicans have a five to two majority on the Michigan Supreme Court. The Democratic Party went through a time when it was spendin