Bush Trots Out Zellout Democrat to Endorse Extremist Judicial Candidate

By DHinMI

As speculation continues that this will finally be the week that Bill Frist opens the silos and tries to launch the Nuclear Option, several sources are reporting that the Republicans will try to provoke the battle with the nomination of Texas judge Priscilla Owen.  According to the Washington Times, GOP operatives have supposedly decided to use Owen's nomination "based in part on the political calculation that she is a sure winner and, as one source said, 'a great face' for this issue."  Something in the Washington Times article stuck out, however:

Also coming to her defense are Texas Democrats who know her.

"They don't know the woman. They've made no effort to get to know her, and they're not treating her fairly," former Texas Supreme Court Justice John Hill said of his fellow Democrats in the Senate.

Justice Hill, who admonished senators on both sides of the aisle for maligning judicial picks, said the portrayal isn't "the Priscilla Owen I know."

"She's a conservative person and her view of the law is probably from a conservative orientation, just like a liberal judge will decide cases from a liberal orientation," he said. "But she tries to follow the law as it's been decided or as it's been interpreted. That's just been a bad rap against her."

Who, I wondered, is John Hill, and should anyone take him seriously as a Democrat supportive of Priscilla Owen?

John Hill was, back in the 1970's, considered a progressive Democrat by the standards of Texas Democrats.  He was elected attorney general, and then won the 1978 Democratic gubernatorial primary.  But in an upset, Hill lost to Republican Bill Clement.  He eventually took a seat on the Texas supreme court, but in 1987 he spoke with Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes and complained that justice was compromised in Texas because of partisan election of judges.  Instead of fighting for the integrity of the court, however, Hill resigned, allowing Republican Clement to appoint a Republican to succeed him, which led to the transfer for Democratic control of the court to the still current Republican control (for which Karl Rove is given great credit). 

So, as Hill went into the private sector, did he continue to work to clean up the Texas Supreme Court, which almost everyone says is more compromised by fundraising than partisanship?  It doesn't appear so:

Former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice John Hill, who has campaigned unsuccessfully to change the partisan system of electing judges, told 60 Minutes the cost of winning election to the high court was "outrageous."

I think it's up to about $2 million on the average," Hill said.

He acknowledged that his defense-oriented law firm contributes to judicial candidates because he considers it a "civic responsibility."

And, he admitted signing a fundraising letter two years ago for Justice James A. Baker about the time Hill argued a case for a business client before the high court. Hill said the timing of the letter, which was reported then in the Texas media, was "lousy."

But, he added, Baker recused himself from the case.

"I really beg and implore the people of Texas to change the (judicial election) system. Pray for us that we'll be successful because it'll be a great day for Texas." Hill said.

What else has Hill done besides fund raise for Republican Justice Baker?  He saw his Republican daughter receive a judicial appointment from George W. Bush.  He campaigned with Republican governors Taft and Guinn on behalf of George W. Bush in Iowa in 2000.  And according to Pro-Life Infonet, Hill "was a Democrat but since has supported Republican judges." 

So if John Hill is mentioned as a "Democrat" supportive of Priscilla Owen, as he was today by the Washington Times and has been in the past by the AP, or even if he's just described as a "former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice" as he was by US News and by Fox, remember that he's no Democrat in any normal meaning of the term.

Comments

[Kagro X]

GOP operatives have supposedly decided to use Owen's nomination "based in part on the political calculation that she is a sure winner and, as one source said, 'a great face' for this issue."

Yeah, you know. The kind of face that would garner national coverage if she were allegedly abducted.

[DHinMI]

Oh, forgot to mention, the Washington Times mentioned another Tx Judge who's supposedly a Democrat who said nice things about Owen. I did a search on her, and other than possibly being the same woman who breeds Bull Mastiffs, she only had 4 hits on Google. She's obviously a heavyweight...

[Kagro X]

Forget Priscilla Owen, I want to know what Neal Horsley has to say about those Bull Mastiffs.