Freedom Festival Parade of Circuit Court Candidates

[XLFD]

 All four of the judicial candidates for the 51st Circuit Court race had floats or displays at the July 4th Freedom Festival parade.  The candidates:  Paul Spaniola (Mason County's current Prosecutor), Susan Sniegowski (Ludington's busy FOIA Coordinator), David Glancy (Mason County's Public Defender), and Craig Cooper (Lake County's Prosecutor, and son of current Judge Cooper), had their first, and possibly only, appearance together at a campaign event open to the general public. 

They had previously talked about themselves at a gathering of the county Republicans at Lincoln Hills, and had even submitted their answers to a bunch of softball questions by the Mason County Press , which nevertheless reveal the subtle differences between the candidates.  In a judicial race, it's often hard to distinguish between candidates because they are more limited on what they can campaign on and issues they can bring up due to the position they are trying to get into.  Considerations that are strictly ruled over by judicial canons they must uphold to ensure their commitment to fairness.  But here is what I saw between two and four, and some of what I didn't see. 

Paul Spaniola Contingent

His entry in the parade consisted of a couple of women walking down the street with a sign with his candidacy on it.  If there were people handing out fliers, candy, or other paraphernalia, they must have been hiding on the other side of the street.  As must have Mr. Spaniola, I never saw him, and I was perched just beyond the courthouse.  His was the first parade entry among the candidates, and by far, the least spectacular.  The last of the candidates presented was the...

Susan Sniegowski Contingent

Hers was more impressive.  The two people holding the signs were there, and people on both sides of the street handing out sweets and glossy bumper-sticker-like cards to those willing to extend their hands out.  The candidate was present and schmoozing with the crowd, but I missed her since she was on the other side of the street.  The group had a bit more energy than Paul's, but just a little less than the...

David Glancy Contingent

David had probably went to the same parade-prompting agency as Susan, because most things were similar as to how they maneuvered down Ludington Avenue.  Both had plenty of people handing out the same sized glossy flier, both were walking with some positive gravitas.  I would give Glancy the edge in their presentation for having a little more energy, having a little better glossy flier, and for actually being the only candidate on my side of the street.  I actually shook his hand, though I'm not a very big fan of his, and vice versa.  His parade contingent was the best of those there, but definitely the weirdest was the...

Craig Cooper Contingent

As the smooth-pated Craig Cooper milled along the north side of the avenue, and others passed out some fancy baseball-card-sized handouts with, on one side, the picture of Craig and his wife Jessie putting a wrestling hold on him near a stream, and on the other side, a Happy 4th of July wish with a thank you to all who make our freedom possible written on the side of a bell.  But this wasn't near as weird as seeing Judge Richard Cooper, Craig's father, in the back of a truck advertising "Cooper for Judge" ringing a bell like a dirge as he slowly went down the street. 

Judge Cooper wasn't in his judicial robes, and probably not in his best clothes, but he was moving the bell back and forth from where it was attached above his head, looking out in the crowd as he was doing so, just in case you may have thought it was just a regular volunteer campaigner.  I couldn't believe my eyes at first, since it seemed to me like a blatantly improper thing for a sitting judge to be doing.  Making it clear that he was endorsing his son to take his judge job when he retired.

For those of you who think his rejecting of plea deals proffered by Paul Spaniola acting as County Prosecutor and David Glancy acting as Public Defender in recent days and commented on here (Spaniola Soft on Crime), here (Even Softer), and here( (Cooper Malice) was anything other than politics, just look at the senior moments of bell-ringing in this parade.  

His clear endorsement of his son for his seat should even have the most ardent of the judge's supporters wondering why Honorable Judge Cooper (and his son) allowed an appearance of impropriety involving having his son come forth and represent the City of Ludington in a lawsuit against them (and a counterclaim) and do so for a period of over  four months where numerous motions were filed.  Included in that time were a lot of nuisance motions by the younger Cooper's law firm sent for the older Cooper's bemusement. 

But a judge and his family have a different standard to live by than the rest of us.  Public confidence in the judiciary is eroded by irresponsible or improper conduct by judges.  A judge should participate in establishing, maintaining, and enforcing, and should personally observe, high standards of conduct so that the integrity and independence of the judiciary may be preserved.  A judge should not allow family, social, or other relationships to influence judicial conduct or judgment. A judge should not use the prestige of office to advance personal business interests or those of others. 

Such are just the samplings of what rules judges must follow as explained verbatim in the Michigan Code of Judicial Conduct.  The rules above are from just the first two canons of conduct.  Michigan judges and politically motivated members of their families are also directed heavily by 1990's Michigan Advisory Opinion JI-30, and general ethics delineated in the American Bar Association pamphlet  ABA Political Activities by a Judge's Family.  Included in this pamphlet (p. 7) is that: 

"A judge is also prohibited from displaying support for a relative’s candidacy by, for example, displaying campaign signs or driving a car with the candidate’s bumper sticker and from engaging in

behind-the-scenes activities in support of a relative’s campaign... A judge may not drive a car that displays a spouse’s campaign sticker even if the car is normally driven by the spouse and even if the

title for the car is in the spouse’s name."

Technically, Judge Cooper was not driving the car and it may have only had large signs for his son, not any bumper sticker.  Ringing the bell with banners for his son probably is okay in the judge's book.

Michigan's JI-30 opinion (p. 8 in link) says that:  "a judge may perform behind-the-scenes campaign activities for relatives, as well as non-relatives, including stuffing envelopes, participating in voter registration drives, placing ads, writing speeches, and building yard signs."   After dismissing most overt political campaigning activity, such as using the judge's person or image to promote the relative's candidacy. 

There is little doubt that Judge Cooper wants his son to take his rightful place on the bench he has occupied for thirty years.  There is also little doubt that Judge Richard Cooper is breaking more judicial canons and rules in doing so.

[AQUAMAN]

As far as I'm concerned, the Cooper's disgrace the bell of freedom, and are more akin to just being ding-dongs in real life. 

[XLFD]

Having liberty and freedom mentioned in the same sentence as Judge Cooper, someone who has eliminated freedom, liberty, ethics, and justice from his courtroom is the ultimate in irony.  This guy would throw anybody in the slammer for beyond the maximum guidelines with the scantest of evidence against them, without any law or victim having been inconvenienced. 

It's just too bad for us all that candidates of the caliber of Jeff Nellis and Nick Krieger (the two candidates for Probate Judge in 2012) were not running for the Circuit Court position.  Either of these two would be far and above more qualified and justice-friendly than any of these four candidates.