The Orange County registrar of voters has verified that enough valid signatures were turned in for a recall election against Fullerton City Council members F. Richard Jones, Don Bankhead and Pat McKinley.
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When should names on public rolls be kept secret? Judging by the ACLU's double standard, secrecy is warranted if exposure might reveal voter fraud. On the other hand, if exposure puts marriage supporters at risk for harassment by radical activists...well, then, that's okay.
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The El Paso City Council on Tuesday chose April 14 to hold a recall election of Mayor John Cook and city Reps. Susie Byrd and Steve Ortega, but the date may change because of the controversy over statewide redistricting and when the primaries will take place.
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The ACLU opposed the online publication of two million signatures collected for the recall election of Gov. Scott Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and four Republican state senators, citing a potential threat to privacy.
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Madison -- Opponents of Republican Gov. Scott Walker filed more than 1 million petitions to recall him, along with recall petitions against Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and four GOP state senators.
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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says the recall effort against him is about public employee unions seeking to restore 'automatic dues.'
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Waukesha -- A judge ruled Thursday that the state Government Accountability Board needs to take more aggressive action to vet recall signatures that are expected to be submitted in two weeks against Gov. Scott Walker and other Republican office holders.
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Gov. Rick Perry has ordered a special recall election on April 14, 2012 for the mayor and two council members in El Paso who voted to override a referendum limiting marital benefits to married couples and their families.
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MADISON, Wis. Embattled Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker may not face a recall vote until next summer, but he's already campaigning to keep his job in the face of a major challenge by organized labor and the Democratic Party.
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Russell Pearce, architect of Arizona's toughened immigration law, lost a recall election on Tuesday to fellow Republican Jerry Lewis.
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Republicans vowed today to reclaim the seat of
recalled state Rep. Paul Scott, R-Grand Blanc, and said his removal - the first
successful recall of a state lawmaker since 1983 - will not affect their
agenda. Click here for full story.
YORK -- Dec. 20 has been set as the date for a recall election that will determine if Bill Sutter will remain the York County Attorney.
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Senate President Russell Pearce and challenger Jerry Lewis are tied just prior to the Nov. 8 recall election, according to an Arizona Capitol Times survey.
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Madison - Alongside an attempted recall of Gov. Scott Walker, Republicans and Democrats will likely seek in coming weeks to recall state senators in a contest for control of that legislative house.
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Supporters of a recall effort against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker need 540,000 Signatures by Jan. 17, 2012.
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Average citizens don't usually pay much attention to recalls, but lawmakers watch them like hawks. Citizens should jealously guard any power they have that so captures their representatives' attention. (Commentary)
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Arrogant Politicians take note: There is more to fear than scheduled elections. Exhibit A is the recall effort underway against the mayor and two council members right now in El Paso.
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The explanations given about where the money is coming from in the city's recall election aren't nearly as sexy as the rumors on the street.
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EL PASO -- A conservative religious group has collected enough signatures to force a recall election of the mayor and two members of the City Council who voted to restore health benefits for gay and unmarried partners of city employees after a ballot initiative ended them.
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The mayor and three city councilors in the small Oregon timber town of Oakridge have survived a recall election despite a financial crisis that has turned recent council meetings into shouting matches.
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MADISON--Nearly $44 million was spent on recall elections targeting nine Wisconsin state lawmakers after a clash over collective bargaining rights, and unions and conservative special interest groups led the way, according to estimates released Sept. 20.
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Michigan Rep. Paul Scott (R-Grand Blanc) is preparing against a recall election in November.
TAYLOR -- A recall question involving Mayor Jeffrey Lamarand will be on the Nov. 8 ballot.Michigan Mayor to Be on Recall Ballot in November | 09/06/11
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Quartzsite voters ousted a controversial mayor in a recall election on Sept. 6, replacing him with a former town council member who resigned earlier this year so he could challenge the mayor.
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A petition is being circulated in Jasper to recall two-term Mayor Mike Lout.
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The Jasper, Texas City Council has slated recall elections for three council members next May over their role in hiring a new police chief.
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Three members of a southwest Nebraska school board face a recall election, at least in part for their actions in backing a successful bond issue.
"After recalls fail, the teachers union lays off 40% of its staff. The Battle of Wisconsin ended with a whimper on Tuesday as two Democrats facing recall elections for their roles in the fight over union reform hung on to their seats. Four of six Republicans up for recall did the same last week. After Greek-style protests in Madison, a judicial election and tens of millions of dollars spent, voters weren't in the mood for revenge after all."
Read the full story at Wall Street Journal Online (subscription required).
By Robert Knight. This column originally appeared in The Washington Times on August 15, 2011.
Some stories have "legs." They don't disappear after a day or so but stay in the news, especially if they help move a liberal agenda. Think of global-warming findings or New York's assault on marriage.
Tuesday's recall elections in Wisconsin won't have legs. That's because union-backed Democrats failed to gain control of the state Senate in perhaps the most expensive off-year campaign in history. Of six Republicans up for recall, just two were defeated. One was in a heavily Democratic district that gave President Obama more than 60 percent of the vote in 2008, and the other senator had dumped his wife and moved in with his mistress.
On the day after the election, ABC's "Good Morning America" did not bother to report on it, as noted by the Media Research Center's Scott Whitlock. CBS' "Early Show" gave it a liberal slant while failing to mention that two Democrats would face recall elections in Wisconsin on Tuesday. NBC's "Today Show," a four-hour program, mentioned the vote result only once.
"An energized Democratic base was supposed to turn out yesterday. It was supposed to pry away from Republicans their total control of Wisconsin's state legislature. Republicans had gone after the state's public employee unions, and this was supposed to be an overreach that would cost them dearly in yesterday's recall elections. If Democrats could pick up three of the six seats under recall, they could win back the state Senate and block Gov. Scott Walker's agenda."
"Democrats failed late Tuesday in their effort to gain control of the Wisconsin state senate as Republican incumbents won four of six recall elections. The outcome was a big setback for Democrats, organized labor, and progressive groups who'd sought retribution against six GOP allies of Gov. Scott Walker, who earlier this year enacted a labor law overhaul that ended collective bargaining rights for many public sector workers. The recall elections attracted millions of dollars of investment from both liberals and conservatives across the nation."
"Spending reports for state Senate recall elections filed Tuesday showed Republicans were outraising Democratic challengers in at least four races, but not all the incumbents have the financial upper hand heading into the Aug. 9 election. The Republicans took advantage of a state law that allows lawmakers targeted for recalls to exceed normal contribution limits during the period petitions are being circulated and before the election dates are set."
"Barring court challenges, yesterday's rulings by the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board were the final step leading up to the recall elections against 9 incumbent state senators. Following the decision by the Board to deny him ballot access, Assemblyman John Nygren said he was considering his options regarding further actions to reinstate his name on the ballot. Nygren said he did not submit more signatures because he was busy working to re-write the state budget. The GAB initially verified 424 signatures on Nygren's petition to run in the recall targeting Sen. Dave Hansen, but after challenges, it was ruled that only 398 were valid, two short of the necessary 400."
"Union dollars are flowing into the campaign coffers for three Democratic state senators facing recall elections this summer, a largely unsurprising development in a political battle spurred mostly by the passage of Gov. Scott Walker's collective bargaining legislation. For the six Republicans bracing for recalls, union donations are drastically smaller, which election experts say is to be expected, even in a regular election."
"After collecting more than 15,000 signatures necessary to trigger a recall election against Democratic state senator Dave Hansen, Wisconsin Republicans failed to get 400 valid signatures necessary to get their preferred candidate on the ballot. [..] [Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette)] says he will "pursue further legal options" to challenge the board's ruling."
"The new president of Arizona's state Senate, Russell Pearce, had only 21 days to enjoy that position before opponents began circulating petitions in January to recall the freshly reelected conservative. That's more time than Jim Suttle had. The night the Democrat was elected mayor of Omaha in 2009, backers of his rivals began to talk online about trying to remove him from office. Suttle barely survived a recall election in January."
Click here for the full story from Los Angeles Times online.
"Emails obtained through the Wisconsin Open Records law indicate former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk emailed all county employees and circuit court judges, including Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi, with a memo announcing her intention to file suit against Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill."
"A Wisconsin state board has voted to let July recall elections be held against three Democratic state senators who fled the state during a divisive debate on collective bargaining rights for public workers."
"Former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina and former County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez will compete in a June runoff to be Miami-Dade's next mayor after neither emerged as the majority winner in Tuesday's special election. 'We are extremely privileged to be able to go to the next round and to be in first place and to have the advantage we have with the votes,' Robaina said. 'That is a demonstration that our message, our campaign and our hard work...paid off this night'"
"Last Thursday, recall petitioner and Northwoods Tea Party leader Kim Simac, of Eagle River, announced her candidacy for the 12th Senate District after volunteers obtained nearly 23,000 signatures in the recall campaign against Sen. Jim Holperin of Conover. The race is expected to be one of many highly-contested races that will take place this summer during a rare election cycle."
Click here for the full story from the Northwoods River News.
"The recent controversy over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's budget plans spurred a round of recall elections in his state. But Wisconsin is not alone, with recalls up around the country. Advocates say recalls enhance democracy, but critics say they cause chaos."
Click here for the full story from US News and World Report online.
"Wisconsin will play host to nine special state Senate elections this summer in what will be viewed nationally as a referendum on Gov. Scott Walker's (R) collective bargaining law passed earlier this year. Petitions were filed against all sixteen state senators eligible for recall, but only nine drives succeeded when the petition deadline passed on Wednesday night."
"Wisconsin recall organizers Thursday added three Democratic state senators and one GOP senator to the list of lawmakers in line for recall elections over their opposition to or support of Republican Gov. Scott Walker's law curtailing collective bargaining rights for public employees. Committees to recall Sens. Dave Hansen of Green Bay, Jim Holperin of Conover and Robert Wirch of Pleasant Prairie filed the signatures needed with the Government Accountability Board. All three groups had thousands more signatures than required to trigger a recall election."
"In a victory for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, an official tally for a hotly contested Supreme Court election confirmed Friday that incumbent David Prosser defeated his Democratic-backed challenger by 7,316 votes. The slim margin, out of nearly 1.5 million ballots cast, prompted challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg's campaign to say they may ask for a recount. They have until Wednesday to decide. 'We will review the information available to us and carefully weigh the options,' the campaign said in a statement."
Click here for the full story from The Wall Street Journal Online.
"Buoyed by the viral power of the Internet and rising anti-government sentiment, disgruntled voters have set off a rash of recall drives against mayors in cities across the USA. The urge to oust city leaders has intensified in the struggling economy as more mayors raise taxes and cut services to close budget shortfalls. Fifty-seven mayors faced recall attempts last year, up from 23 in 2009, according to Ballotpedia, a non-profit that tracks recall elections. So far this year: 15."
"2011 began with the Green Bay Packers winning the Super Bowl. Then things got really exciting in Wisconsin. Weeks of protests at the state Capitol in Madison over the Republican budget proposal were followed by a contentious campaign to turn out a state Supreme Court justice. Now the state Senate is facing a total recall. Sixteen state senators -- eight Republicans and eight Democrats -- have been targeted by recall committees stemming from the contentious budget-reform debate in March. That's half of the 33-member Senate, and it might have been more but for a state law that prohibits recalls against first-year legislators."
Click here for the full story from The Washington Times website.
"A petition drive to recall the Killeen City Council is taking off, but because of quirks in state law, it may be six months before a potential recall election gets off the ground. And even if there is an election, there is a question as to whether four of the council members can be subject to a recall. All this serves to make one Killeen resident's task that much more difficult. Angered by the Killeen City Council's recent decision to buy out former City Manager Connie Green for $750,000, Jonathan Okray last week began a petition drive to recall all seven council members -- despite the fact that only four of the seven members voted to approve the buyout."
Click here for the full story from the Killeen Daily Herald.
"The Wymore City Council has set the date of May 10 for the recall election of councilman Dan Hawkins. After Wymore City Attorney Andy Carothers introduced the resolution Wednesday night to set a date, a brief moment of silence was broken when Hawkins asked Carothers if he needed a motion for approval. When Carothers indicated he did, Hawkins made that motion. Councilman Max Allen seconded the motion, which allowed Carothers to read the entire resolution. When it was put to a vote, the council voted 3-1 in favor of setting May 10 as the recall date with Hawkins voting in favor. Councilman David Monfelt was the lone vote against."
"Wisconsin's topsy-turvy supreme court race -- widely seen as a referendum on Republican governor Scott Walker -- took another dramatic turn as incumbent justice David Prosser, a conservative, moved convincingly back into the lead. On Wednesday, liberal challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg, an assistant attorney general, had appeared to eke out an upset -- besting Prosser by 204 votes in an unofficial tally. But officials in heavily Republican Waukesha county now say they discovered a counting error that, when rectified, gives Prosser an additional 7,582 votes."
"A pair of House Democrats say they will soon introduce a bill that would allow Ohioans to join 19 other states in the ability to recall statewide officeholders and legislators. Ohio law currently allows for the recall of local officials. Reps. Robert F. Hagan, D-Youngstown, and Mike Foley, D-Cleveland, said the proposal was sparked by Gov. John Kasich's low approval numbers, which a recent poll pegged at 30 percent, following the governor's proposed budget cuts and his push for Senate Bill 5."
"The fallout continues from Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker's successful legislation to limit collective-bargaining rights for public unions. Democratic State Sen. Robert Wirch may face a recall election soon, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Dan Hunt, chairman of Taxpayers to Recall Robert Wirch, says his organization has 'well over' the 13,537 signatures needed to trigger a recall election, though he said the group still has a target of 18,000 signatures, in case some are disqualified. The signatures probably will be submitted to the state Government Accountability Board next week, he said."
"Public employee unions and tea party supporters have been gathering signatures to trigger recall elections of, respectively, Republican and Democratic state senators in what amounts to a referendum on Republican Governor Scott Walker's policies limiting the privileges of public employee unions. What's the score. The Hill tells us that Democrats have succeeded in getting enough signatures to trigger a recall election on state Senator Dan Kapanke and Republicans have gotten enough to trigger a recall of state Senator Robert Wirch."
"Ever since Wisconsin Dems and labor activists announced late Friday that they had already amassed enough signatures to trigger a recall election against GOP state Senator Dan Kapanke -- and filed their petition to make it happen -- political observers have been wondering precisely how many signatures activists had gathered. The number could contain clues as to whether the election will actually happen and how much grassroots energy there remains on the ground in the state."
Click here for the full story from The Washington Post Online.
"Democrats and labor leaders chortling over their supposed popularity in the Wisconsin rift between GOP Gov. Scott Walker and public unions might want to consider a Florida recall vote last week. Miami-Dade voters turned out in huge numbers to oust Mayor Carlos Alvarez in a vote that saw a staggering 88 percent of ballots cast against him. The issues: soaring property taxes and increased public-sector union benefits. Alvarez is a Republican -- but didn't govern like one: He raised property taxes for two-thirds of county homeowners by a whopping 13 percent. He rewarded his political base -- public-employee unions, who pushed for tax hikes rather than spending cuts -- by raising their members' pay and unfreezing some benefits."
"Even the most fervent supporters of tossing out Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez and longtime Commissioner Natacha Seijas say last Tuesday's historic recall won't mean much unless there is widespread reform at County Hall. Yet changing the county charter -- the rulebook that politicians and bureaucrats play by -- may prove even harder than the ouster of two of the county's most powerful leaders. The reason: There are two ways to change the county charter, and neither is easy. Citizen petition drives to change the charter have even higher hurdles than recall efforts, and commissioners have often refused to bring proposals to change the charter before the public for a vote."
"Candidates are already campaigning to succeed Miami-Dade County's ousted mayor, just days after voters booted Carlos Alvarez by a nearly 9-to-1 margin in a recall election on Tuesday. The candidates -- ranging from a mayor to a former hip-hop star -- are catering to the anti-tax, anti-establishment movement that led the recall effort. Tuesday's election results were certified Friday, formally removing Mr. Alvarez from office. A special vote to replace Mr. Alvarez isn't likely for at least two months, and it won't be known how many candidates will join the race until an election date is set and candidate registration is held."
Click here for the full story from The Wall Street Journal Online.
"The Republican leader of the Indiana House says the ongoing walkout by Democratic legislators has him considering laws making such actions illegal or letting voters remove boycotters from office. Most Democratic House members skipped Wednesday's House session, extending the boycott that began Feb. 22 over education- and labor-related bills they find objectionable."
Click here for the full story from Washington Times-Herald.com.
By Robert Knight. This article originally appeared on The Washington Times on March 11, 2011.
"I'm not going to lie to you, this is going to get ugly." So predicts "Goldfish," a Daily Kos blogger who boasts of spending two weekends in Madison, Wisc., "on the Front Lines of the Class War." Now, "Goldfish" is predicting a general strike, like the ones in Greece whenever the bankrupt government tries to cut ruinous spending.
A bigger fish, film director Michael Moore, announced on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" on Wednesday that, "This is war. This is class war," and that a national walkout of government school students would happen Friday. Jesse Jackson told Fox News that public unions will retain collective bargaining or "you're going to have it through the streets. People here will fight back because they think their cause is moral."
"Efforts to recall 14 Republican and Democratic senators in Wisconsin picked up momentum Tuesday while Gov. Scott Walker released emails suggesting the two sides discussed compromises in the three-week standoff over the governor's 'budget-repair' bill. A handful of emails between the governor's staff and top Democrats appear to show the governor softening his position on collective bargaining for public employee unions, which has been at the center of the stalemate. Fourteen Democratic senators left the state on Feb. 17 to prevent a vote on Mr. Walker's legislation."
Click here for the full story from The Wall Street Journal Online.
"As improbable as the last three weeks have been in state politics, Wisconsin is about to embark on another wild ride into the political unknown -- a series of legislative recall campaigns on a scale the nation has rarely, if ever, seen. 'I don't think there's a precedent for what's going on in Wisconsin,' said Gary Moncrief of Boise State University, an expert on legislative politics. 'I don't think there's ever been a case where pretty much everyone has been subject to a recall attempt at one time on both sides. That's really amazing.' Formal recall campaigns have now been launched against 16 state senators -- eight Republicans and eight Democrats. That's everyone in the 33-member Wisconsin Senate who is legally eligible to be recalled this year."
Greta Van Susteren of Fox News interviews Dan Hunt, Chairman of Taxpayers to Recall Robert Wirch, about the recall petition in Wisconsin.
"A petition to recall Sen. Robert Wirch, who represents Burlington and most of Kenosha County, was filed Thursday. Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie, is one of the 14 state Senate Democrats who fled to Illinois last week, halting a vote on Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to essentially eliminate collective bargaining for public workers. A group called Taxpayers to Recall Robert Wirch out of Pleasant Prairie filed the petition with the state Government Accountability Board on Thursday. The group has 60 days from now to collect about 15,000 signatures, 25 percent of the votes cast for governor in Wirch's Senate District 22, to force a recall election, according to GAB."
"Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik has never lost an election, but that was before his remarks assigning blame for the deadly Tucson, Ariz., shooting to political 'vitriol' and calling Arizona 'a mecca for prejudice and bigotry.' Now it's Sheriff Dupnik who finds himself on the public-opinion hot seat. A group opposed to illegal immigration has begun an effort to recall the sheriff in a special election. Meanwhile, a Pima County tea party group is planning on holding a 'Dump Dupnik' rally next week outside his office."
Click here for the full story from The Washington Times website.
"A lot of people are wondering what to do about Clarence Dupnik, sheriff of Pima County, Ariz. He's the left-wing lawman who shot off his mouth and blamed everyone to the right of President Obama for the Jan. 8 massacre in Tucson. Last April, he boasted that he would not enforce S.B. 1070, the state's immigration enforcement law, which he called "racist," "stupid" and "disgusting." In September, he accused Tea Party members of being bigots."
"If ever a Congress epitomized the need for more accountability, it's the 111th lame-duck gang. Sorry, that's unfair to gangsters. With most Americans distracted by holiday plans, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, has sprung another Christmas surprise, vowing to ram through a far-left agenda in the waning days of 2010. Last year, he put a giant lump of coal in Americans' stockings with Christmas Eve passage of Obamacare."
"Illinois voters tonight are favoring giving themselves a limited ability to recall wayward governors should the state encounter another Rod Blagojevich or George Ryan in the coming decades. A recall referendum attracted 66 percent support with 53 percent of the unofficial statewide vote counted. The question that topped the ballot needed a favorable vote from 60 percent of the people voting on it or a majority of the people casting ballots in the election overall. Critics say Illinois' version is recall-lite. It would only apply to the governor. And the constitutional amendment is laden with significant ways for the powers-that-be to stop or slow down this type of citizen revolt."
Click here for the full story from The Chicago Tribune online.
"Under constituents' heat to deal with corruption exemplified by the multiple-count indictment of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), Illinois legislators on Oct. 15 approved placing a recall of governors law on the November 2 ballot. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is rattling its sword, however, warning that the measure would lead to expensive litigation, which is the ACLU's way of pressuring public officials without even filing a lawsuit. Illinois ACLU Legal Director Harvey Grossman suggested the legislature start over with a new draft, according to the Associated Press. The recall law is expected to pass, however."
New video on NationalJournal.com: "A Tea Party Fight Liberals Could Get Behind? Liberal Groups Could Benefit If Conservative Activists Win The Ability To Recall Members Of Congress." This video is part of National Journal's effort to document the recall efforts.
"A 1787 letter from George Washington did not appear to trump other texts and events Tuesday as the state Supreme Court hit the history books while hearing arguments on a Tea Party-connected group's effort to recall U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez. The NJ Supreme Court is set to hear today from New Jersey's Sussex County Tea Party activists who want to recall Menendez for promoting health care reform and opposing limited government. In a case that is being watched in several states, the recall committee with ties to a Sussex County Tea Party group is seeking the removal of Menendez, D-NJ, whose term expires in 2012. The Committee to Recall Senator Menendez says the senator is a big spender, and it opposes his support of the recently passed health care reform law."
"On May 12, 2010, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez filed a brief with the New Jersey Supreme Court to deny the Committee to Recall Sen. Robert Menendez the benefit of a friend-of-the-court brief filed by the Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund and 11 other public interest organizations. The brief supports the right of the people of New Jersey to recall their United States Senators and Representatives, as provided by New Jersey's Constitution. RoseAnn Salanitri, Chairman of the recall effort (Recallnj.com) asked: "What is Sen. Menendez so afraid of by this amicus brief that he does not want the court to see it or read it?"Michael Laffey of the Messina Law Firm, the local counsel that filed the brief, said, "I have never seen this done before in New Jersey." According to Sen. Menendez, the brief should be dismissed because it was not filed in a "timely" manner, even though it was filed on May 10, 2010, the very day set by the Court for the filing of briefs by all parties and by amici."
"In a stunning development, the New Jersey Attorney General's office said on Thursday that it will not support the petition for certification by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who is seeking to have the New Jersey Supreme Court quash an effort by a citizens' committee to recall him from office, this Examiner has learned. In a letter addressed to the clerk of the Supreme Court, Assistant Attorney General Donna Kelly cited the opinion of the Appellate Division in the case of Committee to Recall Robert Menendez from the Office of United States Senator v. Nina M. Wells et al., stating that invalidating the recall provisions of the New Jersey constitution and authorizing statute would have 'grave and momentous consequences.' Kelly indicated the full agreement of the AG's office with the Appellate Division's applications of 'principles of judicial restraint.'"
"Led by the Sussex County New Jersey Tea Party Patriots, a coalition of like-minded organizations in the Garden State has filed a petition with the New Jersey Secretary of State to recall Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez. The Tea Party groups' official reason for calling for Menendez's ouster by recall is his support for what the groups see as radical agenda items like President Obama's healthcare overhaul and the controversial cap-and-trade energy tax legislation. But the effort started months before Menendez's Christmas Eve vote for the Senate healthcare bill."
"This should be interesting: The state Supreme Court is being asked to rule whether the New Jersey Constitution is constitutional. Now there's a case for the court to be deciding while Gov. Chris Christie is mulling appointing/reappointing four justices. The case comes courtesy of Sen. Robert Menendez, D-NJ, who is asking the court to say that any attempt to recall him is unconstitutional because it violates the U.S. Constitution. And, as a result, he'll also be asking the court to decide whether the section of the New Jersey Constitution, which allows for the recall of all elected officials, is unconstitutional as well."
"Calling it an 'attack on the Constitution,' a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez yesterday said the Democrat has appealed to the state Supreme Court to stop a recall effort. 'Mainstream New Jerseyans believe deeply in the U.S. Constitution that for more than 200 years has made ours the greatest form of government in world history,' said Afshin Mohamadi, a spokesman for Menendez (D-NJ). 'This attack on the Constitution undermines our uniquely American system of democracy and will be contested.'" (Ackermann, The Record)
ACRU Responds to North Dakota Secretary of State's Denial of Citizens' Effort to Recall Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Bismarck, ND — North Dakota is one of ten states with broad language in its constitution to recall elected officials. Yet, in a letter dated 25 March, 2010, Alvin Jaeger, North Dakota's Secretary of State, refused to provide the procedures by which a member of Congress could be recalled from the office they hold to a citizen of North Dakota. The ACRU contends that to deny this request is to deny the citizens of North Dakota their constitutional right of recall.
Continue reading “Stage Set for Recall Battle in North Dakota ”.
"The American Civil Rights Union, which filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the appeal by the Committee to Recall Robert Menendez from the Office of United States Senator, today offered a new commentary explaining why the recall of a United States Senator by his State's voters is constitutional and unaffected by the most-often-cited case law.
John Armor, a member of the ACRU's legal team, offered this commentary in today's American Thinker. In it he pointed out that the United States Supreme Court has never before heard a specific case involving the recall of a Member of Congress."
By John Armor. This article originally appeared on AmericanThinker.com on April 1, 2010.
Whether citizens of a state have the right to recall from office a sitting U.S. senator is no longer an academic question. The second-highest New Jersey appeals court has just ruled that such an effort can proceed against Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ).
Several other states have provisions in their state constitutions and laws that may also allow recall efforts. And by the common provision of initiative by the people of state laws and constitutions, similar processes could be established in other states.
Continue reading “Is a State-Based Recall of a U.S. Senator Constitutional? ”.
By John Armor. This article originally appeared on Townhall.com on March 17, 2010.
On Tuesday, the New Jersey Court of Appeals cleared the way for the recall of Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) to proceed. New Jersey is one of nine states whose constitutions provide broad language with regard to recalling "all, every, any" elected official. This decision could severely endanger the 11 other sitting Senators (all Democrats) in those states, who are not up for re-election this year but could be subject to citizen recall efforts.
Continue reading “Toyotas Aren't the Only Things Getting Recalled This Year”.
By Peter Ferrara. This article originally appeared on FOXNews on March 17, 2010.
A New Jersey state appellate court yesterday gave the green light for approval of the circulation of petitions in that state asking for a recall election to remove Democrat U.S. Senator Robert Menendez. State law in 9 states counting New Jersey specifically provides for the recall of members of Congress, just as former California Governor Gray Davis was recalled and replaced with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in a recall election in 2003. Those 9 states are represented by 12 incumbent Democratic Senators who are not otherwise up for reelection this year, potentially putting majority control of the Senate even more in play.
"It has apparently never been done before, but a Tea Party group in New Jersey has won the first round in its effort to recall a U.S. Senator -- Democrat Robert Menendez. 'We are loathe to strike down a component of our State's charter [Constitution] that fortifies the democratic role of our citizens,' an Appeals Court panel ruled Wednesday morning. Tea Partiers upset with rising taxes tried last year to get permission from New Jersey's Secretary of State to begin a petition recall campaign against Menendez. When that was denied, they went to court. And now they've won."
"New Jersey Democrats are coming out with guns blazing against a tea party-led effort to recall Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, with the state party chairman going so far as to brand the campaign racist. Last week, newly minted Democratic Chairman John Wisniewski blasted the recall campaign as extremist, saying that it was no accident that it was targeting Menendez, the only Hispanic in the Senate. And without mentioning her by name, Wisniewski took a shot at the recall campaign's leader, Sussex County tea party founder RoseAnn Salanitri."
"Appearing before a three-judge appellate panel in Trenton today, the attorney representing the Committee to Recall Senator Menendez--which is backed by the state's grassroots conservative Tea Party movement--said his client has a right to begin an effort to remove the New Jersey Democrat."
By Peter Ferrara. This article originally appeared on Big Government on March 3, 2010.
The recall of New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez took a step forward yesterday with a promising oral argument in New Jersey state court. The New Jersey Constitution expressly provides for the recall of members of Congress representing the state in a provision adopted by a 75% favorable vote of the people in 1995. The New Jersey state legislature then expressly provided by statute for the procedures for such a recall.
"Appearing before a three-judge appellate panel in Trenton today, the attorney representing the Committee to Recall Senator Menendez--which is backed by the state's grassroots conservative Tea Party movement--said his client has a right to begin an effort to remove the New Jersey Democrat."
(2/23/10) -- "Three Appellate Division judges will hear oral argument in Committee to Recall Robert Menendez v. Nina Wells, Secretary of State et al. on Friday, Feb. 26 at 10 a.m. in the Supreme Court courtroom on the 8th floor of the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex, 25 Market St., Trenton."
Click here to read the full press release from NJCourtsOnline.com.
By Peter Ferrara. This article originally appeared on Big Government on February 16, 2010.
Eighteen states provide for recall elections to remove state officials. Nine of those provide for the same for their Congressional representatives. But such a right of recall can and should be adopted in every state.
Ideally this would be done by amending the state constitution to provide for such recall elections. But it can be done through statute as well, with the New Jersey Uniform Recall Election Law as a good model.
Continue reading “Throw the Bums Out: Let's Take It On The Road ”.
"In addition, the American Civil Rights Union (ACRU), has taken interest in the case and had filed an emergent application requesting approval to participate in the appeal as amicus curiae (friend of the court), given the broader constitutional implications of the case. In the same order, Judge Stern also granted the ACRU's emergent application and approved the organization's participation in the appeal."
"A NJ Superior Court Appellate Judge has granted an emergency motion to fast-track the appeal of a committee seeking to recall a United States Senator. In a two-part order issued late afternoon on Thursday, February 4th, Judge Edwin Stern granted the committee's motion to accelerate their appeal and scheduled oral arguments for Friday, February 26th. In the same order, the Judge also granted approval for the American Civil Rights Union (ACRU) to participate in the appeal as amicus curiae (friend of the court), in response to an emergent application filed by the ACRU."
By Robert Knight.
A campaign to recall Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) is continuing in the face of a negative opinion by state election officials.
Secretary of State Jay Dardenne's press secretary, Jacques Berry, told the ACRU on Feb. 5, 2010, that a recall petition for Sen. Landrieu submitted several weeks ago, was "accepted but only for filing for the purpose of creating a public record." The office does not consider the petition valid and so did not notify the state's 64 parishes, Berry said.
Attorney General Buddy Caldwell had issued an opinion in March 2009 on a February 2009 petition to recall Rep. Joseph Cao (R). In that instance, Caldwell ruled that Louisiana's Constitution does not permit recall of federal officials. So the Secretary of State applied that opinion to the current effort aimed at Sen. Mary Landrieu. Berry said that to his knowledge, there has been no court test of that opinion or the question generally of recalling federal officials in Louisiana.
Nonetheless, Tea Party members led by Ruben T. LeBlanc are continuing to circulate petitions. They have 180 days to collect more than 900,000. Mr. Berry said that if they succeed, they could at that point file a lawsuit challenging the Secretary of State's ruling on the validity of the petition.
By John Armor. This column originally appeared on Townhall.com on February 2, 2010.
Do the citizens of the states have a constitutional right to recall their Members of Congress before the end of their set terms, if they become satisfied that their Members are seriously harming the interests of the people who elected them?
The U.S. Constitution states no right to recall federal officials. But that's not the end of the inquiry, only the beginning.
There are two main reasons why the right of recall can be established for all elected officials, including Members of Congress. One is that the Constitution delegates general election law to the states. The other is that the 10th Amendment reserves to the states and the people all rights not delegated to the national government.
"Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) responded today to the appeal by the citizens' committee seeking to recall him, apparently insisting that he is a federal official and thus not subject to the New Jersey constitution's recall provision, according to a source close to the case. 'So here is a powerful New Jersey resident arguing that his home state's Constitution, passed overwhelmingly by the people of New Jersey, that he claims to represent, is invalid and you can't recall him from office,' the outraged source told this Examiner. But in fact Menendez is not the only United States Senator to be the target of a recall committee. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) is another."
By Peter Ferrara. This article originally appeared on Fox Forum on January 25, 2010.
Congress is out of control. The public overwhelmingly opposes the pending legislation for a government takeover of health care. But Congressional leaders are telling us they don't care. They know best, and they're going to pass it anyway.
We see the same attitude on other issues, from global warming regulation, to taxes, government spending, deficits, federal debt, energy policy, welfare, corporate bailouts, and beyond. Too many of our Congressional "representatives" seem unwilling to listen to the views of their constituents, insisting that they already know it all. They respond to dissenters with name-calling, labeling them yahoos, Nazis, and tea baggers.
"New Jersey's State Constitution is unconstitutional. That's apparently what one New Jersey election official seems to think. A committee seeking approval from the state to petition registered voters on whether to move forward with a special election to recall US Senator Robert Menendez was denied that request, in a letter on January 11th which stated that the US Constitution does not provide for such a proceeding."
"Not once in more than 40 years has an incumbent Wisconsin Supreme Court justice lost an election -- not, that is, until this week, when a business-backed circuit judge narrowly defeated the first African-American to serve on the state's highest court. But the victory of Michael Gableman over Louis Butler was important not only because the former district attorney is likely to nudge the court to the right. It stood out because the race came with such cost, partisanship, and confrontation -- hardball trends that are expected to play out in judicial races nationwide."
Click here to read the article (PDF). Click here to see the petition.