Michigan Supreme Court finally getting the attention it deserves

The press is currently going apeshit over the hypocrisy and lack of common sense exhibited by the Michigan Supreme Court. The Republican majority on the Court, commonly referred to these days as the "Gang of Four," were all appointed to one court or another by former Governor Engler. These jurists fancy themselves "textualists" which is a fancy, disingenuous way of saying that they defer to the wisdom of the Legislature, except when they disagree. In those instances, they make up new law to suit their own personal political agenda. What does this mean for you and for me? It means that instead of upholding the law as it was written and as it was intended -- laws of the people, for the people, and by the people that these jurists have taken an oath to respect -- the Gang of Four favor special interests and Republican causes, eliminating citizens' access to our courts and kicking plaintiffs out of court most of the time. After years of complaints by trial attorneys (both plaintiff and defense) about what clearly constitutes the most conservative and disingenuous supreme court in the country, the press is finally catching on. Here's some of the latest: Judge or Lawmaker, from the Grand Rapids Press (criticizing Justice Young for ignoring the plain text of a statute to allow special interests to pollute throughout Michigan). Court aids foes; GOP majority's rulings fuel claims of bias, from the Flint Journal (criticizing Justice Taylor for letting a rapist/murderer out of a civil lawsuit because he successfully concealed his identity for 16 years). Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court has a big target painted on his back, from the Morning Sun (criticizing Justice Taylor for the letting the above-mentioned rapist/murderer off the hook). Court ruling takes teeth out of state EPA, and Engler majority mangling state environmental law from the Traverse City Record Eagle (criticizing the Gang of Four for ignoring the state environmental protection laws). Justices race to appease big donors (criticizing the Court for letting the rapist/murderer off the hook) and Court slams door on environmental protectors (criticizing Gang of Four for their preposterous interpretation of the law), from the Detroit Free Press. Law no longer protects buyers, from the Lansing State Journal (criticizing the MSC for turning the Michigan Consumer Protection statute on its head to defeat its clear and unambiguous intent). And don't forget to check out my previous posts. I've written about these wingnuts before here, here, and here. If you take only one thing away from this post and these articles, it should be to vote against Cliff Taylor next year, the only one of the Gang of Four up for re-election. If he is re-elected, the perverse agenda of these nutwingers will continue to prevail on through the foreseeable future, and the citizens of Michigan will be left with a legacy of injustice, more pollution and fewer rights as each year passes. Cross posted to TortDeform.com.