Guest Blog: Anne Kass on Appointment of Charles Daniels to NM Supreme Court

This is a guest blog by political activist and retired Second Judicial District Judge Anne Kass of Albuquerque:

Bill Richardson made a very good decision this week -- he appointed Charles Daniels to the New Mexico Supreme Court. 

I thought all of the names that were submitted to the Governor belonged to really good people. My favorite was Charlie, largely because he has been devoted to civil rights and human rights his entire legal career. He has been a law professor and ACLU hero  He plays in a rock 'n roll/cowboy band and drives a race car. He is a real live human being who has rich life experiences on which to draw. He is knowledgeable about the law, but more importantly, he is knowledgeable about and sympathetic to the human condition.   

In my view, the judiciary desperately needs independent judges as opposed to cookie-cutter-judges who work so hard to appear neutral that they disappear into blandness. I think that Earl Warren got it right that one major role of the judiciary is to protect individual human beings against over-reaching by the other two branches of government, as the other two branches of government have been doing for too long now. I see Charlie as someone cut from Earl Warren cloth, not someone who will look for an invisibility cloak. Let me just say that I'm really jazzed about this appointment.

He will need petitions signed to run for election in November 08, so I'm hoping you will either contact him at KS@FBDLAW.com or me at annesmok@msn.com and we'll will see to it that petitions are sent your way.

For now, rest easy and know that in New Mexico at least, the Bill of Rights is in good hands.

Editor's Notes: Here's the statement issued by Governor Bill Richardson about his appointment of Charles W. Daniels to the New Mexico Supreme Court to replace Justice Pamela B. Minzner, who passed away in August. You can read his legal profile .

This is a guest blog by Anne Kass. Guest blogs provide our reader with an opportunity to express their opinions and may or may not represent our views. If you'd like to submit a piece for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand side of the page.