Supreme Court: ‘Strong on Law’
Those tempted to listen to the demagogues who unleashed their radio campaigns against the Supreme Court in general and Justice Joseph Grodin in particular might be interested in hearing a few facts.
Grodin, who the politicians say has hindered law enforcement, actually cast the decisive vote and wrote the court’s opinion sustaining Proposition 8’s restriction of judicial power to exclude illegally seized evidence. And Grodin, who now finds himself a “victim” of publicity stunts involving murder defendant Harold Memro’s “crime scene,” wrote a cogent dissent from the close decision that “overturned” Memro’s conviction--which means, of course, that Memro will be tried again and probably convicted again.
Even voters who may choose to respond to this critical judicial election by treating judges like politicians and complex legal questions like 60-second television spots will be spiting themselves, and falling for a big lie, if they ignore the independence and intellect of Justice Grodin.
LAURENCE F. JAY
Pasadena
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