Appearance of impropriety

When it's all said and done, all any of us really has is our credibility.

Which is something the Arizona Supreme Court has thrown away.  

Rather enthusiastically.

This has NOT been a good week for the people of Arizona.

From AZMirror, written by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy, dated 8/18 -

School voucher regulation measure Prop. 212 is pushed off the ballot

A ballot measure that would ask voters to institute sweeping regulations to Arizona’s billion-dollar universal school voucher program is effectively dead. 

The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against the backers of Proposition 212, upholding a lower court’s decision that disqualified a number of voter signatures in support of the measure, putting it below the threshold to make the ballot.

 

At least two of the justices hearing the matter should never been allowed anywhere near this matter -

Justice Clint Bolick is a former employee of the Goldwater Institute, a lobbying firm masquerading as a non-profit and one that was heavily involved in the anti school voucher regulation effort.

From the AZ Supreme Court's bio of Bolick -

Justice Bill Montgomery was the vice president of the board of Great Heart Academies, an entity that profits from ESAs.

From the financial disclosure form filed by Montgomery on 5/27/2016 -

At this point, the best thing that can be said about them is that they're not even trying to conceal their bias.

In the 90s, there was a similar utter betrayal of the public's trust, one that resulted in the Voter Protection Act being added to the state's constitution; maybe if there's a similar response to this one, perhaps we'll add a requirement forcing judges/justices to recuse themselves when hearing a matter involving an organization they were once part of or involved with, and if a judge/justice hears a case they shouldn't, their decision in that matter is null and void.