Anyone who opposes the nomination of Priscilla Owen may explain why in the comments to this post. I am doing this because I have been engaged in a debate with some folks at Kevin Drum’s site, and someone suggested that we were straying off-topic. Rather than debate that point, I have decided to open this thread.
Please follow these simple rules:
1. Pick a specific opinion of hers that you are criticizing. It’s fine to pick more than one, but no generalizations, please.
2. If a Web link is available for the opinion(s) (they are often available on FindLaw), please provide it/them.
3. Read it before you criticize it.
4. Give us your own arguments, not just a link to the People for the American Way site, or to some other blog. Take the time to tell us in your own words what Owen did wrong in the opinion.
I can’t emphasize this point enough. I encourage you to provide links for your sources, of course — but don’t use that as an excuse to avoid independent argument. If you expect us to engage your arguments, show us that you have thought out the issues yourself.
5. Civil and respectful comments only, please — on both sides.
Go to it! I’ll link this post at the post on Drum’s site so as to attract some of the left-leaners who might have criticisms of Owen.
UPDATE: Hellloooooooo??? Anyone there??
UPDATE x2: I have thrown the invitation open here and here as well. I’m trying, I really am. If you can think of another good place to seek out leftists willing to follow my rules (a key point), let me know.
UPDATE x3: Someone on Drum’s site is accusing me of trying to squelch debate on supposed ethical violations of Owen’s. If you can’t come up with an opinion to criticize, feel free to go to the ethical violations, but try to follow the rules to the extent possible/applicable.
In other words, I am not going to be very impressed by a link to Joe Conason article, any more than a liberal would be impressed if I proved my point with a link to an Ann Coulter article. I’ll be much more impressed by an argument that addresses issues like these:
Why is Owen worse on this score than any other judge who has to run for elective office, including other members of the Texas Supreme Court?
How were her opinions supposedly influenced by campaign contributions?
Which opinions?
Was she the swing vote in those opinions?
Did any litigant ever ask her to recuse herself?
Were her actions illegal or demonstrably unethical?
Etc.
A rant by Joe Conason that fails to address such issues is worthless to me.