Posted by (+2863) 6 months ago
After reading the September 13th front page Star article on James Brown, who is running for the Montana Supreme Court against Justice Ingrid Gustafson, as well as a recent Star political ad and letter to the editor by Beth Hinebauch supporting Brown, I’m compelled to respond to several misconceptions or false premises. I’ll start with Hinebauch. She doesn’t get it. She states “they (judges) don’t even run as conservative or liberal.” Montana’s Constitution and Courts were not established to benefit one ideology over another.
Brown touts, as part of his legal experience, being ‘President’ of the Montana Public Service Commission. In the early seventies when I was General Counsel (now Chief Counsel) to the Commission, our Commission ran smoothly, like a well-oiled machine. Now under chairperson Brown it is mired in scandal, intrigue and ineptitude. The financial records of the PSC are so problematic that the State couldn't even conduct an audit of its books. Further, the State paid $175,000 dollars to settle a wrongful termination PSC case. None of this speaks well of Brown's leadership--or, how about, the lack thereof?
In Brown’s interview he states he considered running for the Supreme Court due to his 15 years of legal practice experience. My question is what experience is he speaking about? According to Martindale Hubbard (available on the internet), Brown, even though having practiced in Montana for more than 15 years, has no rating at all. Martindale Hubbard, is the only valid rating system for lawyers because it is honest peer opinion of both judges and lawyers about practicing lawyers. It’s not surprising that he has no rating since Brown has sparse and insignificant appearances before the Montana Supreme Court and there is nothing indicating his ever having tried a significant case. Brown has not established himself as either a significant advocate or a legal scholar. He is not qualified to occupy a seat on our Court.
Another concern is Martindale Hubbard rates lawyers on ethics, as well as skills. The Montana Code of Judicial Conduct, requires “that a judicial candidate shall not “seek, accept, or use endorsements from a political organization * *.” The Code further requires judicial candidates act to ensure that other persons do not undertake any such activities on their behalf. Montanans should be alarmed, but not surprised, that Brown’s campaign for Supreme Court continues to lend itself to the appearance of being ethically challenged. The recent political ad in the Star, by six politicians, shows Brown being complacent with endorsements from politicians and political groups. Further, Brown, as a lobbyist, advocated against access for regular Montanans to our public lands.
Montana Supreme Court Justice Ingrid Gustafson is not a politician. In the thousands of cases she has heard and decided in the District and Supreme Court in her twenty plus years as a judge, her top priority has been upholding the Montana Constitution, fairly and impartially, always putting our rights first, and politics last. Vote for Justice Gustafson.
Brown touts, as part of his legal experience, being ‘President’ of the Montana Public Service Commission. In the early seventies when I was General Counsel (now Chief Counsel) to the Commission, our Commission ran smoothly, like a well-oiled machine. Now under chairperson Brown it is mired in scandal, intrigue and ineptitude. The financial records of the PSC are so problematic that the State couldn't even conduct an audit of its books. Further, the State paid $175,000 dollars to settle a wrongful termination PSC case. None of this speaks well of Brown's leadership--or, how about, the lack thereof?
In Brown’s interview he states he considered running for the Supreme Court due to his 15 years of legal practice experience. My question is what experience is he speaking about? According to Martindale Hubbard (available on the internet), Brown, even though having practiced in Montana for more than 15 years, has no rating at all. Martindale Hubbard, is the only valid rating system for lawyers because it is honest peer opinion of both judges and lawyers about practicing lawyers. It’s not surprising that he has no rating since Brown has sparse and insignificant appearances before the Montana Supreme Court and there is nothing indicating his ever having tried a significant case. Brown has not established himself as either a significant advocate or a legal scholar. He is not qualified to occupy a seat on our Court.
Another concern is Martindale Hubbard rates lawyers on ethics, as well as skills. The Montana Code of Judicial Conduct, requires “that a judicial candidate shall not “seek, accept, or use endorsements from a political organization * *.” The Code further requires judicial candidates act to ensure that other persons do not undertake any such activities on their behalf. Montanans should be alarmed, but not surprised, that Brown’s campaign for Supreme Court continues to lend itself to the appearance of being ethically challenged. The recent political ad in the Star, by six politicians, shows Brown being complacent with endorsements from politicians and political groups. Further, Brown, as a lobbyist, advocated against access for regular Montanans to our public lands.
Montana Supreme Court Justice Ingrid Gustafson is not a politician. In the thousands of cases she has heard and decided in the District and Supreme Court in her twenty plus years as a judge, her top priority has been upholding the Montana Constitution, fairly and impartially, always putting our rights first, and politics last. Vote for Justice Gustafson.