Brock Should Go

On Oct. 10, the New Hampshire State Senate acquitted Chief Justice David Brock of the New Hampshire Supreme Court in the state's first impeachment trial of a judge. Brock was accused of perverting justice on several occasions--in particular when he allowed fellow justices to comment on cases from which they had been disqualified; when he allowed Justice Stephen Thayer to provide input as to who would sit on a special panel to hear Thayer's own divorce case; and when, in a 1986 phone call to a Superior Court Judge, Brock tried to influence a case she was hearing. Many New Hampshire state senators, who acted as a jury at the trial, believed that Brock was indeed guilty of mismanaging the courts, but didn't think his conduct warranted removal from the bench.

Although he has said that he plans to return to work, we call on Chief Justice Brock to step down from his post on the Supreme Court. His impropriety has undermined the public's confidence in the New Hampshire legal system and caused those not from New Hampshire to wonder if such corrupt practices reach into other states. While senators argued that errors in judgement are not good enough reasons to force someone to resign, a judge, especially a Supreme Court justice, should be held to a higher standard. Members of the judicial branch of government are entrusted to uphold the rights and principles of the people, and because of this, they are accountable on a far more philosophical level than the average American.

Judges are seen as the embodiment of reason and morality in government. The justice system is a sacred institution based largely on the trust of citizens that the carefully appointed justices will make the right decision. It is their job to decide what is right and what is wrong and to ensure that justice is done for every American. If the men and women of the justice system are unable to distinguish what is right from what is clearly wrong in their own lives, as Brock has proven, they are unworthy of the privilege to decide for others.