Tainting our Judiciary
April 16th, 2008 by David ShapiroI’ve always admired state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa as one of our brightest and most talented elected officials, but her problem is that sometimes she wastes her smarts on political games that aren’t as clever as she thinks.
The Pacific Business News provided an excellent example in a story by Linda Chiem detailing how Hanabusa appointed former Kaua’i Judge George Masuoka to the state Judicial Selection Commission after a fast shuffle to circumvent a constitutional prohibition against stacking a majority of lawyers on the panel that plays a key role in picking judges.
Masuoka would have been the fifth attorney on the nine-member commission, so the retiree resigned from the Hawai’i State Bar Association and gave up his license to practice law in order to technically qualify himself, according to PBN.
Masuoka has close ties to Chief Justice Ronald Moon of the State Supreme Court, who gets to make his own appointment to the Judicial Selection Commission in addition to Hanabusa’s two.
The betting here is that this is part of a political play to make sure Republican Gov. Linda Lingle’s options are limited when Moon hits the mandatory retirement age of 70 in 2010 and Lingle gets to appoint his successor from a list of candidates provided by the Judicial Selection Commission.
The Judiciary is the one branch of government that needs to be protected from any taint of politics, and Hanabusa should know that as a practicing attorney.
There were plenty of qualified candidates for this appointment. Making a mockery of the Constitution to slip in Masuoka was shabby, unnecessary and destructive to public trust in the integrity of state institutions.
Let’s not return to the bad old days of the Bishop Estate scandal when the Judicial Selection Commission and the Judiciary itself were disgracefully rolled into the political patronage machine.
That sorry episode already left enough of a stain on the legacy of the Moon Court.
Kudos to Pacific Business News for breaking this important story that deserves more visibility and discussion.
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For another example of cheesy politics in the Hanabusa-led Senate, check out my column in the Opinion section of today’s Advertiser, “Senate is playing cynical game with public elections bill.”
Tags: Colleen Hanabusa, Judicial Selection Commission, Judiciary, Ronald Moon, Supreme Court
April 16th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Thank you for your link to your Opinion on the Hawaii County effort to promote honest elections and the Senate’s efforts to derail that promotion.
The only way to get an honest legislature in Hawaii is for a Hawaii County type election process that virtually eliminates corporate funded electors. I wonder what the Senate is afraid of. Hmmmm.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
It is a sad reflection on the “Moon Court Years”. Your right, the politics of the type we are seeing, the stacking of the court so Unions, certain organizations and other factions of power are able to keep their hands on the lever of judicial power.
As an old Chinese saying goes… if we always do what we always did we will always get what we have always got.
Judge Moon has been able to keep a lid on the system at hand because he evolved with the process over the years and knows the limitations. A new person coming in trying to continue will soon realize that they do not have the knowledge or “zhì” (wisdom / knowledge).
Hawaii and the children of Hawaii deserve better for their future. If we think the politics and economy will improve by continuing the way we have been we need to think again.
The new economy will be changing the Hawaii we have known quicker than our voters have been able to.
Stagflation is upon us and will continue to worsen, a combination of inflation, a weak economy, increasing costs and financial markets in turmoil. Walk in to any grocery store in the last this past year, the price of goods and foods has in some cases tripled. The prices are soaring, and will continue to soar. Add to that a rapidly cooling economy oil approaching $120.00 a barrel (how high can it go) and you have a recipe for stagflation.
Pension funds are flooding the oil futures markets and currency markets to stay afloat, these can be very volatile investment pools. If there is another incident involving the Middle East or an increase in terrorism which looms over our daily existence. These pension funds will feel the pain as will their recipients.
Stagflation isn’t something turned around by interest rate cuts and current fixes that have worked in recent years. While interest rates are low, credit is tight. Financial institutions which are bleeding from the bad loans are much worse off than ever going back to 1920’s.
So let us keep doing the same old thing folks and see the outcome. Some will benefit, some will not.
April 16th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
what’s wrong with that? its all political - one has to protect its interest. you must remember, lingle has made many end-runs during her administration - doing very idiotic things. why shouldn’t the democratic powers make sure she does not resort to her idiotic ways. remember lingle appointed that ex-criminal to fill a vacant democratic house seat? why is the legislature tyring to curb her powers? that should be simple, lingle cannot be trusted to do the fair thing, she does things only to make her look good. but lately, she hasn’t done anything to make her look good, she has made so many tactical errors - she is doomed politically. her folly, buying turtle bay is really really dumb - she likes to says things to make her look good polictically but she has never done anything substantial while governor but cover up for the scumbag garibaldi.
April 18th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
It’s all pretty consistent. Isn’t this the legislator that has moved mountains to protect Jeff Stone and his tax credits, but is presently happily proposing millions of dollars of TANF cuts for programs serving needy people on the beaches of her district. There is a logic to it all. Not pretty, but logical. Shame.
April 18th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Yep Hanabusa it is really unfortunate that Hanabusa has so tainted herself with money from crooked developer Jeff Stone and others that she has forgotten why she is in office- to represent the folks in her district.
April 19th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Lawyers taking care of lawyers…so what else is new? Where is Tommy Waters (another lawyer) and his “nepotism” bill when you need it.
This my friends, is another example of the sleazy underbelly of politics, especially in this little town. The machine continues and Ronald Moon and Hanabusa (another lawyer) are in bed together on this one. These people have absolutely no qualms about keeping the status quo and are more worried about their own long term political future, than anything or anyone else….least of all the State’s voting taxpayers.