Charlotte lawyer: Politicization of the judiciary only weakens it

Partisan jurists

Politicization of the judiciary — judges and court staff — only weakens the judiciary. It causes the public to have less trust of and respect for the judges who make decisions affecting their lives. Some Republican litigants and attorneys will think Republican judges will have a bias in their favor in a close case. Vice versa for Democratic litigants and attorneys. It is unseemly and, to this retired lawyer who grew up in a different era, it is a great disappointment.

Pender McElroy, Charlotte

Atrium expansion

Regarding “Atrium Health deal to double size of hospital system,” (May 12):

Atrium Health is big enough! Competition is needed in everything to keep prices in check and give people a choice. If Atrium owns everything around, they set their own prices and healthcare gets more expensive.

The government let Walmart get too big and they put similar stores out of business, with the exception of Target. Walmart was allowed to get too big. We do not need one mega-hospital system.

There are still healthcare options, but they are getting bought out fast. This deal needs to be blocked to make it fair for other smaller companies.

Phillip Sipe, Hickory

Cheri Beasley

In a TV ad, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cheri Beasley says both parties in Washington are doing their jobs wrong.

I beg to differ. Democratic presidents haven’t packed the Supreme Court with radical right-wingers. Congressional Democrats didn’t undermine democracy by refusing to certify a free and fair election, nor did they ram through a deficit-stoking tax cut that mostly benefits the very wealthy.

On the surface, a both-sides-do-it middle course might appear to be the safest route to election victory. That strategy didn’t work for the late U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan in her 2014 reelection campaign, and it is unlikely to work for Beasley this November.

Ven Carver, Raleigh

Cut Cawthorn slack

Regarding Kevin Siers’ May 12 editorial cartoon... It seems every other day there is something with a negative connotation about Madison Cawthorn. Can he ever do anything right? If so I haven’t noticed that anyone has mentioned the fact. Let’s face it, we all have come up short in our lifetime. Let’s give him a break and a chance to prove himself.

Gerald C. Gibson, Lincolnton

Always vote

We get the government we allow. Government is not some unknown entity — it’s the people we elect to represent us, from local school board members, county commissioners, mayors, judges, state legislators, governors to those we send to D.C. Don’t fall into the cynical trap that says your vote does not matter. If that’s true, why are many state legislatures passing laws to make voting more difficult? They understand the power of the ballot.

We have a say-so in who represents us. I urge everyone to vote in all elections, not just presidential ones. Educate yourself on the candidates and vote for those who best represent the kind of government you want. Don’t let others decide for you.

Dianne Mason, Matthews

Wall St. landlords

The Observer and Raleigh News & Observer series on the rise of Wall Street landlords overlooked one aspect of the phenomenon. Homeowners associations in neighborhoods like mine have a zero-tolerance policy for nearly everything — and rightfully so. My neighbors and I have obeyed for decades. But the HOA cannot force renters to comply, only the owners. So weeds grow knee high and overflowing trash bins sit on boulevards for weeks while the “process” plays out with absentee landlords.

David Fee, Charlotte

Roe v. Wade

The case before the Supreme Court is a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks. If it stands, the court’s decision does not outlaw abortion. It puts it where it belongs: with the voters in each state.

Some liberal scholars who support abortion rights have criticized Roe as “barely coherent,” a “muddle of bad reasoning and...judicial overreaching.” Even Ruth Bader Ginsberg once called Roe “heavy-handed judicial intervention,” during a 1984 speech at UNC before she was on the Court.

Overturning Roe would simply correct what some constitutional scholars view as judicial overreach and return the debate and decision about abortion rights to each state.

Tom Spencer, Waxhaw

Supreme Court

Senator Elizabeth Warren and others want to pass legislation to legislate ethics rules for the U.S. Supreme Court. Although this may be a good thought, it probably will not pass constitutional muster. The Supreme Court is an independent branch of government. It is a separate and equal branch of government. If ethics rules are passed, constitutionally, they must come from the court itself.

Bob Burroughs, Charlotte

Tax error

After reading “A tax error took everything” (May 8), I wanted to scream. I believe Charlotte developer Jake Belk and his wife should be ashamed. The tax and judicial systems involved should be reviewed and corrective actions taken. And, Barbara Ryan should get apologies and restitution.

Marcie Rollins, Charlotte