opinion Nolan Finley The Detroit News Published 2:38 p.m. UTC Aug 2, 2018 If Michigan Republicans dump Supreme Court Justice Beth Clement from the GOP ballot in retaliation for not voting the way party bosses expected on the redistricting ballot proposal case, they can stop yapping about their preference for rule of law judges. The claim will be exposed as all hot air and hypocrisy. Clement is under fire because she joined fellow Justices David Viviano, Bridget McCormack and Richard Bernstein in the majority opinion that the Voters Not Politicians measure meets the legal requirements for a spot on the ballot. The newest justice was the target of intense and hugely inappropriate lobbying to side with the three dissenting justices, Stephen Markman, Brian Zahra and Kurt Wilder, in finding a legal technicality to keep the measure away from voters. The challenge was brought by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. Clement was threatened with the loss of campaign support from the GOP’s business donors. Her Republican-leaning fundraising firm dumped her. Fellow Republican Justice Kurt Wilder, who is also up for election in November, stopped campaigning with her. To her immense credit, Clement resisted the pressure. She joined Justices David Viviano — also a Snyder appointee — and Democrats Bridget McCormack and Richard Bernstein in allowing the initiative to go forward. And now the rumblings are the GOP will replace her as one of their two court nominees at the Aug. 25 convention. That would force Clement to run independently. It would be… [Read full story]
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