In God's sweet time? Of course. He is waiting for the punchline....
The first proof came when the proceedings at a hastily called covention of elites from the state court system and the organized bar -- in fact, it was a day-long strategy session on "what to do" about the sometime Chairman Wersal and his lawsuit -- was interrupted by the news that the Justices of the High Court had granted Greg's petition and would hear his case.
Wersal sat there beaming, having learned that he was going all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, in an auditorium that was jam-packed with 400 of his closest enemies. If I live to be 100 years old, I will never forget the look on his face, or theirs, when that announcement came.
The second proof, and the Almighty's next belly laugh, came today. Minnesota Public Radio reported the events this way:
It is like the old saying: Men make plans, and God (and Wersal) laughs....
On the same day the Minnesota Supreme Court formally swore in its new chief justice and another associate justice, the landscape radically changed as to how justices will keep their seats. In Minnesota, the governor typically appoints a person to fill an open seat and then that person must run later for election.
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision means judicial elections in Minnesota could look very different. For eight years, attorney Greg Wersal fought to get the courts to strike down the state's judicial ethics rules. Wersal says the changes will breathe new life into the state's legal system because many incumbents will lose their positions.
'We've been gathering up a lot of dead wood in the judicial system and this will gives us an opportunity to clear it out,' he said.This is Wersal's second victory. Three years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with Wersal and the Republican Party to strike down a section of the state's Code of Judicial Conduct that forbid candidates from speaking publicly on political and legal issues. But Wersal and the Republican Party sought more, and the latest ruling has delivered it.
posted by E.L. Lipman | 1/23/2006 06:48:00 PM
This case really is a testament to the power of one man with conviction. Greg does not seem a very proud man to me. But he sure as hell has a right to be.
The article
from MPR's website concludes with an interesting paragraph:
Although this particular legal battle is over, there is still the issue of attorneys' fees. The state will likely have to pay Wersal and other attorneys for eight years of legal wrangling. It's unknown how much those fees will total.
What's the difference between a Minnesota Supreme Court Justice and God? God knows he is not a Minnesota Supreme Court Justice.
I spoke with Mr. Wersal about the attorneys fees. He said that as a plaintiff he will not be awarded any fees.
I also heard the MPR story, which was generally a fair story. However, as Harsh Pencil points out...the end of the story states that Mr. Wersal would be collecting fees, which we now know is false. Bad MPR!
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