The authors of this letter seldom, if ever, agree on any election at any level. However, we are united in our belief that Justice Roger Burdick should be re-elected to the position of Idaho Supreme Court justice on May 25. This is a nonpartisan election and our endorsement of Justice Burdick is not intended to be an endorsement by our respective political parties. We are political officials, but we are also lawyers who understand how important the Idaho Supreme Court is to good government, due process and justice for all.
We support Justice Burdick for the following principal reasons:
· Experience. Justice Burdick has served as a public defender, a prosecuting attorney, a magistrate judge, a district court judge and a justice of the Idaho Supreme Court. No candidate for judicial office in recent memory has come close to matching the outstanding record of experience and public service.
· Knowledge. Justice Burdick has an unmatched depth of knowledge about the issues upon which Idaho's economy, government and future depend. From water law to victims' rights, from criminal sentencing to tort reform, Justice Roger Burdick knows, respects and follows the law.
· Ability. Justice Burdick has demonstrated time and again his ability to build consensus among his fellow justices, to decide issues fairly and in clear terms and to make decisions in an atmosphere where men and women can disagree without being disagreeable.
The last thing our state needs right now is a Supreme Court justice with a cart full of axes to grind and a portfolio of personal scores to settle. The issues certain to come before the Idaho Supreme Court in the next few years must be considered and decided in an atmosphere of professional composure, careful deliberation and judicial restraint.
Justice Roger Burdick is the only candidate in this race with the experience, knowledge and ability to ensure that common sense and careful reflection, not personality and ego, guide the actions and decisions of the Idaho Supreme Court.
R. Keith Roark
Hailey
Norm Semanko
Eagle, Idaho
