Please read, and share! The Mercury News strongly endorses Matthew Harris for Judge: Mercury News editorial: Elect Harris, not Ritchie, as judge On the home page of his campaign website, Santa Clara County prosecutor and judicial candidate Matthew Harris asks: Do you believe that judges should be fair, impartial and committed to justice for all? Of course we do. Who doesnt? And Matt Harris will be all those things. But theres another quality thats at least as important -- and that Diane Ritchie, the incumbent Superior Court judge Harris is challenging, utterly and completely lacks: Competence. Basic competence. Harris is eminently qualified for the bench in his knowledge of the law, his steady, analytical judgment and a judicial temperament that will give those who come before him full confidence theyll receive just treatment. We highly recommend him. Ritchie shows none of these characteristics on a regular basis. She lacks the basic knowledge of the law, understanding of court procedures and grasp of ethical conduct that a judge needs to effectively dispense justice. Many lawyers refuse to practice before her. Ritchie showed a shaky grasp of ethics in her first campaign in 2008. But when lawyers become judges, even with less than ideal preparation, they tend to grow into the job within a first term. Ritchie did not, despite unusual amounts of mentoring and training. She still isnt assigned major felonies or other complex cases. As her re-election approached this year, staff writer Tracey Kaplan reported in this newspaper on these problems, including ethical lapses on the bench -- such as asking a defendant she knew for his phone number to catch up socially -- and the need for frequent prompting from courtroom staff on law and procedures. The county bar association not only supports Harris in this race, but more members also found Ritchie unqualified than qualified. Judges usually support one another, but many are either staying out or are supporting Harris in this race. Even after ethical issues were raised publicly this year, Ritchie remained clueless. In March, after making a ruling favorable to attorney and Campbell Councilman Jason Baker, she sent him a campaign solicitation -- while part of the case still was pending in her court. As retired Assistant District Attorney Karyn Sinunu-Towery said of the incident: Judge Ritchies conduct is unethical and indefensible. Today, Ritchie is drawing her public salary but is all but useless on the bench. Her inability to handle many cases leaves an already overburdened court even more short-handed, which means justice delayed for many people. Harris knows the law and understands community needs. Check out matthewharrisforjudge to see his exceptionally wide range of experience, from high level prosecutions to crime prevention. Its up to voters to replace Ritchie -- and theyre lucky to have Harris stepping up for the job. mercurynews/opinion/ci_26727201/mercury-news-editorial-elect-harris-not-ritchie-judge
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 02:51:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015