Candidates for State Supreme Court Seat Agree Obamacare Decision Was Wrong

Supreme Court Candidates Oppose Decision By Chief Justice Roberts in Obamacare Case

by Rae Anne Firmin

BATON ROUGE — Three state Appeal Court judges who are seeking a seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court found themselves in agreement Tuesday about U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts’ decision upholding Obamacare.

All three told the monthly Ronald Reagan Newsmaker Luncheon at Café Américain they strongly disagree with the decision.

But all three said the decision had some “silver linings,” especially Roberts’ language restricting Congress’ use of the Commerce Clause to regulate Americans and his decision to strike down efforts by Congress to withhold Medicaid funding from the states.

The Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish sponsored the debate among the candidates, who will be on the ballot Nov. 6.  The luncheon is held on the second Tuesday of each month.

Candidates participating in the forum were 1st Circuit Court of Appeal Judges Toni Higginbotham, Jeff Hughes and Duke Welch, all of whom are announced candidates. Two other possible candidates attended the meeting to listen and observe — District Judge Guy Holdridge of Ascension Parish and former District Attorney Doug Moreau of Baton Rouge.

Parish Republican chairman Woody Jenkins said the forum was an opportunity for the Supreme Court candidates to demonstrate their ability to tackle complex legal issues in a public setting.

Prior to the forum, State Republican chairman Roger Villeroy told the group, “We have to elect a new president this fall” for our children and grandchildren.

The chairman of the Ronald Reagan Newsmaker Luncheon, Richie Edmonds, welcomed each of the candidates and invited them to offer opening remarks.  Then each candidate was asked questions about the Obamacare decision, which they had a chance to study over the weekend.

On a different note, candidates were asked to comment about the use of foreign law in the U.S. court system. Higginbotham said she had a divorce case involving an Egyptian couple. “The man lived here and his wife was living in Egypt. Under Egyptian law, to get a divorce all you have to do is say ‘I divorce you’ three times! But if you want to be an American in Louisiana, you abide by Louisiana law!”

Hughes said, “No! But there is one exception. Louisiana has a civil code because we were under French and Spanish rule. It’s okay to go back and look at the principles of the law.”

Welch recalled a recent news story about a Florida judge implementing Sharia (Islamic) Law to resolve a mosque dispute, an action Welch called “totally inappropriate.”

For more on the forum, go to Capital Republican on Facebook or www.CapitalRepublican.com.