Justice candidates: ‘Fair and just,’ ‘Important work’

Here are excerpts from the closing statements of the four candidates for Idaho Supreme Court justice at today’s Idaho State Bar forum; you can read my full story here at spokesman.com:

Clive Strong: “This is an important election. … The next justice that’s going to serve on the Supreme Court will be making decisions that will not only affect you for the next six years, but far into the future – it has precedent moving forward. … I come back to the qualifications and characteristics that I think set me apart. I have had the privilege of serving, over the last 30 years, the 1.6 million people of the state of Idaho. Those have been my clients.” He’d take that same approach to the Supreme Court as well, he said. “I would look to establishing trust and confidence with the public by demonstrating that I’m fair, impartial, honest, diligent,” so that Idahoans “have confidence that decisions are made in a fair and just way.”

Curt McKenzie: “I think it’s important to have a justice who’s had a diverse practice, both in the types of firms worked with and the caseloads that they’ve done. I’ve had civil, criminal, I’ve worked with large law firms all the way down to a sole practice, done civil rights litigation, criminal practice both representing the state and representing individuals, as well as worked on complex civil litigation. I think that’s an important background to have, as well as a history of public service, not just the Legislature but in the community trying to help families redirect their lives, or at Syringa House, with those young women, getting their life back on track. Representing our region and trying to develop the economy of the Pacific Northwest. Those are all unique things I can bring to the bench, and I think it’s important to have that diversity of background on the bench as we go forward.”

Sergio Gutierrez: “I appreciate sharing the platform with some great lawyers. … I’m not a good salesman when it comes to myself. I would say, don’t go by my word. Go by those folks that I’ve worked with, go to those folks that I’ve helped, beginning with legal services and my time with them working on behalf of farmworkers, being recruited by a firm in Boise to come and work with them specifically with the idea that I would be expanding their ability to help the larger community of Latinos that’s up and growing just tremendously in this state. We have some schools where 50 percent or more of the students are Latino. We have an interesting thing happening also with regard to our two cities that are refugee cities, 1200 refugees a year being settled into our state.” Courts need to be ready to deal with those populations, he said. “Also, I’ve operated a solo practice.”

Robyn Brody: “I have truly enjoyed going all throughout the state, meeting new people, going to places I would never otherwise go. It’s a terrific experience. One of the questions that I was asked by someone really kind of set me back on my heels a little bit. He said: Are you doing this because you want your little boys to see you as someone important? I thought a lot about that. And I thought man, I hope not. I hope that’s not why I’m doing this. What I want our little boys, who are sitting back there, what I want them to see is their mother doing something that’s important. The Supreme Court has important work to do, and I’d like to be part of it.” She said a highlight when traveling the state has been the beautiful and often historic courthouses, even in small communities. “I know they sacrificed to build them … and they’re beautiful and wonderful and they endure today. … I think I have something to give. … Margaret Thatcher once said, ‘If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, vote for a woman.’”