Republicans Take Complete Control of the Alabama Supreme Court

Following the victories by Patti Smith, Tom Parker, and Mike Bolin in Tuesday's election, Republicans now hold all 9 seats on the Alabama Supreme Court. All 9 Republican Justices have spoken out against judicial activism, and the people of Alabama should hold them to those pledges.

Judicial activism in the service of ideology is harmful to republican principles whether it comes from the right or the left. Whether judges are conservative or liberal, the temptation to interpret the law according to their own ideological preferences or those of their political supporters can be tremendous. When all of their colleagues are members of the same political party and have been supported by many of the same donors and activists, those pressures may be even greater. The conservative majority on the Court should resist the temptations that liberals have so often succumbed to. Political issues should be decided at the ballot box, not dictated by the judiciary.