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Former Gov. Al Quie to lead forum on judicial independence

By Becca Heistad '09
September 24, 2008

Former Minnesota Gov. Al Quie '50 will lead a forum on the importance of judicial impartiality on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 10:30 a.m. in Buntrock Commons Viking Theater, with refreshments beginning at 10 a.m. The event, made possible by Minnesotans for Impartial Courts (MIC) and the League of Women Voters, is free and open to the public.

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Quie, who served as governor from 1979-83, now heads the MIC. Saturday's Judicial Independence forum will focus on the ways Minnesotans can work to maintain an impartial court system at a time when political campaigns are turning their focus toward partisan interests.

For years, the judicial selection process in Minnesota was relatively free from the influence of partisan politics. In order to retain impartiality, judges would commonly refrain from publicly voicing positions on controversial issues. But as of 2005, candidates for judge in Minnesota are allowed to solicit campaign contributions from political parties and special interest groups. As a result, negative advertising coupled with partisan and group endorsements has become increasingly visible in recent judicial campaigns.

The speaker
Quie is well known locally, having grown up on a farm near Dennison, Minn. He attended Northfield High School and went on to graduate from St. Olaf College with a degree in political science.

After serving as a pilot in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Quie became a member of the Minnesota State Senate in 1955. In 1958 he was elected to Congress by special election and remained in the U.S. House of Representatives until 1979.

Following his retirement from politics in 1982 after 28 years in public service, Quie joined the board of the Prison Fellowship Ministries, a group that provides religious counseling for prison inmates. As current chairman of the MIC, he now devotes time to lecturing and teaching.

The issue
The MIC, a nonprofit educational and advocacy organization, launched a statewide education and lobbying campaign in January 2008 to urge the Minnesota Legislature to approve a constitutional amendment enacting retention elections for judges, in which voters make the decision to keep or remove a judge from office.

The proposed judicial selection system, already in use in 20 states, places focus on the qualification and performance of judges over partisan and special interest politics.

The MIC describes itself as an organization comprised of "concerned citizens from all walks of life and political persuasion who want to keep Minnesota's courts independent and accountable by keeping special interest, partisan consideration and campaign contributions from influencing the selection and retention of Minnesota's judges."

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.