Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Federalist Society debate: Appropriate response to crime or inappropriate militarization of police forces? Bill Montgomery v. Radley Balko



Event Details

Phoenix Federalist Society Lawyers' Chapter

Friday, February 21, 2014 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM (MST)

Phoenix, AZ

 

We hope you can join us for this engaging and informative debate between writer Radley Balko and Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery.  The topic is Domestic Law Enforcement Tactics, and our guests will answer the question about whether or not current tactics are an appropriate response to crime or inappropriate militarization of police forces.

Radley Balko is a senior writer and investigative reporter for the Huffington Post and a former senior editor for Reason magazine.  He is the author of Rise of the Warrior Cop, which argues that politicians’ ill-considered policies and relentless declarations of war against vague enemies like crime, drugs, and terror have blurred the distinction between cop and soldier.
 
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery was first elected to his position in a Special Election in 2010 and re-elected in 2012 on a pledge to fight crime, honor victims’ rights, and protect and strengthen our community. As a West Point Graduate, decorated Gulf War Veteran, former Deputy County Attorney and a professional prosecutor, he has dedicated his personal and professional life to serving others.

CLE Available
Lunch Served
Direct inquiries to Kileen Lindgren klindgren@ij.org.

We look forward to seeing you!
Have questions about Domestic Law Enforcement Tactics Debate w/ Radley Balko | Bill Montgomery? Contact Phoenix Federalist Society Lawyers' Chapter 
 

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Trevor Loudon coming to Arizona in February!

Live event appearances

Monday, February 17th, 2014
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Arizona Red Mountain Patriots
Faith Christian School, 7464 E. Main Street
Mesa, AZ
$2.50 Door Charge

Tuesday, February 18th, 2014
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Tea Party Patriots of Arizona
North Gate Church
34835 North 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ

Wednesday, February 19th, 2014
6:30 pm to 9:00 pm
w/ Shane Krauser  www.aafce.com
Immaculate Heart High School
625 East Magee Road
Oro Valley, AZ

Thursday, February 20th, 20146:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Tea Party Scottsdale
Chaparral Suite, Granada Room
5001 N. Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, AZ

Friday, February 21st, 2014
Western Conservative Conference
Evening hours

Saturday, February 22nd, 2014
Western Conservative Conference
All day

Radio interviews

Monday, February 17th, 2014
2:00 pm

Wednesday, February 19th, 2014
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
James T. Harris Show
Tucson, AZ

Thursday, February 20th, 2014
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
“Liberty Storm” with Shane Krauser
1100 AM Radio, Phoenix, AZ

Saturday, February 22nd, 2014
12 Noon to 1:00 pm
“A Call To Rights” with Steven Kates
1100 AM Radio, Phoenix, AZ

Saturday, February 22nd, 2014
8:00 pm to 9:00 pm
“Proclaiming Liberty” with Christian Tisch
960 AM Radio, Phoenix, AZ

Sunday, February 23rd, 2014
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
“Lisa Benson Show” with Lisa Benson
960 AM Radio, Phoenix, AZ


                               
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  January 1st, 2014
What’s Loudon’s “The Enemies Within: Communists, Socialists and Progressives in the U.S. Congress” All About?
Trevor Loudon’s “The Enemies Within: Communists, Socialists and Progressives in the U.S. Congress” is like no other book written on American politics. To order an advance copy of the book please go to www.pacificfreedomfoundation.com  Books will also be available for sale and autograph at each appearance.
The book is designed to expose, in layman’s terms, the comprehensive communist, socialist and extreme progressive infiltration of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
“The Enemies Within” profiles fourteen Senators and more than fifty Representatives and their ties to Communist Party USA, Democratic Socialists of America, Workers World Party, and The Institute for Policy Studies, Council for a Livable World and other radical anti-American organizations.
Ever wondered why the US Congress has moved further and further left over your lifetime, even while much of the electorate has become more and more conservative? Why government regulation and taxes have exponentially increased, even though most Americans still oppose Big Government?
“The Enemies Within” is designed to show American voters exactly how modern communism works and how it impacts on your life, every single day. Just how do the communists win big on things like Obamacare and immigration “reform,” which go completely against the wishes of the American people?
“The Enemies Within” names names and takes no prisoners. If you want to know exactly who is tearing your country down, this is a MUST READ.
The Enemies Within” was officially released August 20, 2013, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Trevor is an activist and political researcher from Christchurch New Zealand. He believes in freedom with responsibility, not freedom from responsibility. His ideal society is one in which government is confined to protecting its citizens from criminals and external enemies and he believes in working with all those who are moving in broadly the same direction. Trevor is also the founder and editor of KeyWiki.org, a rapidly growing website with the goal of unlocking the covert side of U.S. and Global politics. www.trevorloudon.com


Friday, February 7, 2014

Tom Horne campaign uses nasty tactics to wrongly attack Mark Brnovich's wife

A m e r i c a n  P o s t - G a z e t t e
Distributed by C O M M O N S E N S E , in Arizona
Friday, February 7, 2014
Bolick: Judge Brnovich did nothing wrong
"Were this issue to go to court, it would not even be a close call" 

We're frankly shocked that scandal-plagued liberal Republican Tom Horne and his campaign are trying to make this an issue. It's pretty low when a candidate goes after someone's wife. We all remember when judges contributed to Andrew Thomas's opponents, showing up their political events, and nothing happened to them. Where was the outrage then? What about when judges like Arizona Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Berch testified against legislation regarding judges? Watch the video below, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a candidate's wife who is not identified as a judge appearing as his wife in a family video! What a massive invasion of free speech if she was not allowed to be in that. Horne should be ashamed of himself and read up on ethical rules. 

STATEMENT OF CLINT BOLICK ETHICAL ISSUE REGARDING JUDGE BRNOVICH

Ethics questions have been raised regarding the appearance of Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Susan Brnovich's appearance in a campaign video for her husband Mark, who is running for Attorney General.  The assertions of impropriety are ludicrous and raise more concerns about the accuser than the accused.

Susan Brnovich is not only a judge but also a wife and mother.  She appears in the video in those capacities, and is nowhere identified as a judge.

The purpose of ethical restrictions on judges endorsing candidates is to avoid the appearance that the judiciary is lending its weight to a campaign.  No such danger exists here.  Nobody would know that Susan Brnovich is a judge from the video.  Indeed, if people find out she is a judge, it will likely be the result of the complaints being raised rather than anything Judge Brnovich did.

If the ethics rules were applied to prevent Judge Brnovich from speaking in this manner, it would be the rules rather than her conduct that create the problem.  The U.S. Supreme Court and other state and federal courts have consistently ruled that judges do not shed their First Amendment rights.

Courts have held that judges may campaign for themselves, take positions on issues that may appear before them, and even appear at partisan political events.  That is because ethics rules must be very narrowly tailored to avoid infringing upon judges' rights to free speech and to participate in the political process.  The rules must be construed in a way that does not violate the First Amendment.

Indeed, if a government official were to file an ethics complaint against a judge for exercising her First Amendment rights, it would have the effect of chilling the free-speech rights of judges.

By way of disclosure, Mark Brnovich is a personal friend and worked at the Goldwater Institute some years ago.  However, my Goldwater colleagues and I consistently defend the free-speech rights of candidates and their supporters.  Indeed, my colleague Nick Dranias has served as an expert witness for Attorney General Tom Horne on a First Amendment issue in the past.

Were this issue to go to court, it would not be a close call.  It is unfortunate that in the heat of a campaign actions are sometimes taken that reflect poorly on the part of people who should know better.
Live Your Values, Do the Right Thing
Live Your Values, Do the Right Thing

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Poll: Andrew Thomas right at the top of GOP candidates for governor

Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, the tried and true principled conservative in the race for Arizona's governor, has come out near the top in the latest poll. The Behavior Research Center's Rocky Mountain Poll has him at 7% of GOP primary voters. Two other candidates have 7% and 8%. Both Doug Ducey and Ken Bennett are trailing Thomas. It is widely thought that most of the Republican candidates will split the moderate to liberal GOP vote, allowing Thomas to take the conservative base and win the primary. With a showing this strong early on, it looks fairly certain that he's going to cinch the nomination. Voters are sick of government corruption and cronyism and they know Thomas has the guts to take it on. Thomas is also about the only gubernatorial candidate to challenge Governor Brewer on the Obamacare Medicaid expansion she rammed through, and Republican voters aren't going to forget that.