about explaining the virtues of these judges. The fact is, candidates for judge aren’t supposed to tell you where they stand on certain issues, especially social issues, because once they put on that robe and take that seat they must follow the law and leave politics at the door. Yeah, I think that’s pretty much a load of crap, too. I think on a great number of legal issues, judges do follow the law. But let’s be honest, if that were the case there wouldn’t have been a dissenting opinion on an issue like same-sex marriage. Judges are people, and people who run for office are political. Pennsylvania is one of the few states that still runs judicial elections as a partisan competition. I’m not going to argue whether that’s right or wrong. That’s the reality of the situation. And, quite, frankly, I’ll be making my decision in this race based on political ideology. Why? Because social issues like body sovereignty, minimum wage and gun control, and political issues like redistricting, are the ones where politics come into play. For progressive, liberalminded folks, this is a chance to swing the Supreme Court our way. A chance like this likely won’t come around again for a very long time, if ever. Now, I’m not naïve enough to think that all Democrats I vote for will be as socially liberal as I am, and that they will vote the way I think they should all of the time. But by installing a more liberal-minded court, we can at least give ourselves a fighting chance. Let’s look at some issues where this could come into play. Despite watching what seems like a school shooting a week, we still haven’t advanced any form of common-sense gun-control. Many municipalities, like
Pittsburgh, have tried, only to be turned back by the courts and the legislature. In fact, municipalities have attempted to fight many social injustices that the state legislature has ignored. Issues like paid sick leave and any attempt to locally raise the minimum wage will all eventually end up at the state’s high court. And speaking of the legislature, if Democrats ever have a shot of gaining control in Harrisburg, the first step is Nov. 3. This state has some of the most ridiculously gerrymandered districts in the nation. The boundaries are drawn in such a way to give Republicans the edge. Do you really think Jim Ferlo would have retired if his senate district had remained untouched? Instead, his urban district, with a large number of African-American voters, was butchered and joined with a predominantly white district in the North Hills. The same holds true for Pittsburgh’s Congressional district. Need proof? Check out the 12th District that stretches from the Ohio border to Johnstown. As other media have pointed out, the state Supreme Court appoints the tiebreaking member to the state’s redistricting committee. Anyone want to guess which party got that power under the Republican-controlled Supreme Court? We can’t afford to sit on the sidelines for this judicial election. If you still can’t grasp what’s at stake on Nov. 3, think of a vote for the Supreme Court as a vote on gun control, a vote in favor of gender equality, a vote on women’s health issues, or even an early vote for your state and congressional representatives in 2021 and beyond. Because voting in this race now may be the last vote you control for an awfully long time.
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