I thought Mike Sheffield might be the GOP candidate. I’ve heard a lot of them singing his praises. But then I got this email in the mail today:
Please join us in voting for Sara Doyle in the runoff election on December 2 for the Georgia Court of Appeals.
In these difficult times for families and for conservative principles, it has never been more important that we elect the right judges. We have known Sara and practiced law alongside her for many years, and we know her to be the right choice for Georgia families and businesses.
A Mercer law graduate and a partner with the international law firm of Holland Knight, Sara has spent her career defending employers and businesses in litigation. In her fifteen years as a lawyer, she has handled a wide range of cases from trial through the appellate process involving contracts, torts, employment, insurance, real estate, tax, trusts and estates, workers compensation, and liability disputes. Sara has lectured on issues of student discipline and privacy at Georgia School of Law seminars, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, and the Education Law Association’s annual seminar. And Sara has litigated in Federal and State courts–both in and outside of the state of Georgia–giving her a comprehensive understanding of the legal process.
Sara is a devoted wife and mother. She married her college sweetheart, Jay Doyle, almost 16 years ago, and they are the proud parents of Mary Donovan. The Doyles attend Lutheran Redeemer Church in Atlanta. The life challenges of balancing her career, a marriage, and raising their daughter give Sara a sense of purpose and keep her focused on the trials that every family faces.
She has pledged that Georgia’s families will be the foundation of every decision she makes on the Court of Appeals, that every life is protected, and that justice is served.
As lawyers who have been fighting for Republican principles our entire careers, we urge you to join us in voting for Sara.
It was signed by Anne Lewis, Frank Strickland, Robert Highsmith, and Mike Bowers.
Of course, I already voted for Sara.
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Moreover, can she stand you?
Dash, my wife agrees.
I took it as a compliment.
Old Barrister,
And yet, 3500 people continue to subscribe to The Political Vine newsletter…
Doug,
Yeah, all lawyers are unethical. It is always great to use sterotypes when you can’t come up with good arguments. I don’t see why you are showing such hostility towards those defending Mercer. All I am saying is that these “statistics” you worship aren’t everything. Is Mercer more prestigious than GSU, UGA, or Emory? No. Is the quality of education at Mercer just as good or better than those institutions? I would say yes. In fact, I know someone that transfered to Emory from Mercer and says that Mercer was harder.
I can assure you that you have not read more law than a lawyer. I bet you haven’t read half the amount that a 1st year student reads in one semester. Since your wife is a lawyer and your mom is a paralegal, you should look into becoming a law professor. Clearly, you know everything about a the subject matter.
No hostility towards you. I just think it is absurd to question Doyle’s qualifications based on the fact she went to Mercer.
Sow,
You are funny, you guys are the ones showing hostility. (I will admit, however, that my comment condemning all lawyers was somewhat hostile, but I mean in regard to Mercer, or it’s defenders.
It would appear that you have some difficulty with reading, but you went to Mercer, the greatest law school in the world, so obviously you must have an amazingly keen intellect . I will allow you to re-read the thread and if you find even one of the several errors you made in your last comment, I will take it all back and proclaim your school as tops in the land. I will give you a hint, never once did I question anyone’s qualifications in this thread. On the other hand, I rejected the completely absurd notion that mercer is the best law school in Georgia. With that, now go and find the error, you have 3 days.
NGI,
Believe it or not, I also have a son.
On number 2, you might find this amazing, nearly everyone I encounter in real life pretty much likes me, as long as they have a sense of humor. In order to balance my Karma, however, I treat most people on PP like crap
“Believe it or not, I also have a son.”
LOL!!! They probably can’t stand you.
Doug,
Are you saying Mercer folks are unethical? I would beg to differ. There you go with the mass sterotypes.
I never said Mercer was the greatest school in Georgia. Now, please find where I said this. I think I said that Georgia and Emory were more prestigious. It is not the greatest school in Georgia, but it is not as terrible as those make it out to be. I think it is absurd for you to rail against those defending Mercer.
No, you did not actually make the qualifications comment. I apologize. However, I think you make too much of these statistics. They are important but aren’t what makes a good school. All I was trying to do is show that there is more to a school than the statistics.
I am ending this discussion. I really don’t care anymore. I suggest you spend more time with your son than on a blog arguing about law schools which you never attended.
Okay, if I understand this correctly, just because I might have been accepted at Cal Tech, Rice, and MIT in EE ( I chose Rice), and was accepted by MENSA 29 years ago, I am stupid and don’t know what a hard school is because I did not attend UGA or Mercer Law School.
What a bunch of elitist crap!
No, I meant that I didn’t know why anyone who never went to either school would even care. It had nothing to do with being elitist or intellegence. UGA and Mercer are not even on the same level as those schools. I don’t think anyone would argue with that.
You can insult us, but please, don’t cast aspersions on out time-honored indulgence in elitism. Without it we’d be no better than shaggy-haired frat boys who never went to law school.
In my opinion, coming from a UGA law grad (hence the screen name), all of Georgia’s law schools provide a good education, with John Marshall being a step down from the others (although, John Marshall is making some BIG improvements…look at that bar passage rate).
Honestly, I think the traditional discussion, that you hear in law school, fits…UGA & GA State provid you the best opportunity if you want to practice in Downtown ATL (I’m kicking Emory out of this discussion…great school, but too expensive for most to consider). I think UGA & Mercer provide a better “in” for practicing in the areas outside of ATL. (For what it’s worth, Mercer does a pretty good job of offering scholarships to most of its students – so even though it’s private, the cost to attend can actually end up cheaper at Mercer than it would at GA State or UGA).
If you want to work in another large SE city – Charlotte, Greenville, Nashville, Chattanooga…I’d say UGA gives you the best shot.
If you want to work in NYC, Boston, or DC…honestly, Emory’s your school (they get far more on campus interviews from northeastern US firms).
I do completely agree with the comment made above that a lot of kids that go to GA State or Mercer WOULD have gotten into UGA, but for diversity quotas – yep, that sucks.
There’s qualified kids at all of the schools…and there’s some kids who just get in b/c they’re willing to pay the law school a lot of money to go there.
As for the education…they’re all going to be good in certain areas and probably lacking in some others. Every attorney posting on this board should be honest about this though…you could skip law school altogether, spend 10 months (MAX, probably less) studying BarBri & PMBR books 6-8 hours a day, and pass the GA Bar Exam with no problem. So I think Bar Passage Rates are kind of overrated in that regard (to me, it just shows the level of dedication of kids from that particular school to put in the time to study for 2 months for the Bar).
Point being…find something else to argue about & compare/contrast, maybe your shoe size or something.
Double Dawg,
I completely agree. Thanks for the comment!
Sow,
No, I also did not say Mercer grads are unethical. One of the reasons you butted up against me is because you repeatedly put words in my mouth and try to argue against made up boogey men instead of actually reading what I wrote. My discussion was with mws in the first place, which you butted into. But, yes, this discussion is tiresome, so let’s agree to never mention it again.
From Georgia Equality:”“Two of our candidates for judge, Tangela Berrie in the DeKalb Superior Court race and Sara Doyle in the Georgia Court of Appeals race will be facing opponents in the runoff. “
She would not get such a ringing endorsement from them for just saying no to discrimination. I understand that she refused to fill out questionaires from conservative groups but did for GA Equality. That speaks volumes.
http://www.dailyreportonline.com/Editorial/News/singleEdit.asp?individual_SQL=9/29/2008@26400
“According to online campaign contribution records, Doyle has backed a mix of candidates. She gave $200 to Perdue’s campaign in 2000—and similarly modest donations to state Sen. M. Kasim Reed, an Atlanta Democrat and fellow Holland & Knight partner, and Ashley S. Harris, a lawyer and unsuccessful Democratic primary challenger for the state Legislature in 2006. She also made a $50 donation to the campaign of then-Supreme Court Chief Justice Norman Fletcher’s 2002 re-election campaign. Doyle has said she declined to answer the sort of issue questionnaires—from Georgia Right to Life and the Georgia Christian Alliance—that some conservative candidates have answered in the past. ”
Then there are her comments below from Fulton County Daily Report:
http://www.dailyreportonline.com/Editorial/News/singleEdit.asp?individual_SQL=9/29/2008@26400
“But a closer look at Doyle’s candidacy shows a blurrier political picture. The candidate says voters would be wrong to assume she’s a Republican. “I don’t think that politics should play a role in the judicial elections,” says Doyle. She says she’s “not a cause person.”
Good! I don’t like “cause” people as my judges.
This is scary, I’m agreeing with Bill on something… Doyle is definitely the better candidate, not that it takes much
Bill,
The only thing I want to hear a judge say is “I will follow the laws passed by the legislature and signed by the governor to the best of my ability except when they conflict with the State or Federal Constitutions.”
Justice is not joining the bench with the intent to “fight for families” or “protect business”. Justice is making sure that even the rights of jerks and infamous are protected. Unfortunately, no one in the position to become judge seems willing to set aside partisan leanings and actually do the job a judge is supposed to do.
Go Mike Sheffield!!!
The fact liberals oppose Mike Sheffield makes him more appealing. Mike is a great guy and would make a great judge.
The fact liberals oppose Mike Sheffield makes him more appealing.
I like the way you think. Years ago the fact that liberals opposed Pol Pot made me realize that maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. Of course, you could say that opposing Pol Pot was a bipartisan position, but to some extent the same could be said of Sara Doyle. So regardless of any hints of unity within the legal community for one candidate or another, what really matters is that liberals have made their choice and we must stand against them. Go
Pol PotMike Sheffield!!!Liberals like activist judges, conservatives don’t..
I have a tremendous respect for Randy Evans and he supports Sheffield.
Supporters: Republican Party general counsel Randy Evans, Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister.
Mike Sheffield
College: Wake Forest University
Law school: Emory University
Professional: Sole practitioner in Lawrenceville
Pitch: A former prosecutor and now a criminal defense attorney, Sheffield says he is well regarded by his peers, having been elected president of the DeKalb and Gwinnett bar associations. He says he was wrongly denied the chance to be in a runoff for a appeals court judgeship in 2004 when a new election was ordered because an opponent’s name was incorrectly listed on ballots in Laurens County.
Quote: “I’ll always wonder what would have happened [in the 2004 race], if they’d only counted those ballots.”
Supporters: Republican Party general counsel Randy Evans, Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister.
Noted Republicans Randy Evans and Charles Bannister support professed Republican Mike Sheffield? Seriously?
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/10/15/appeals_court_election.html?cxntlid=inform_artr
Seven candidates running for appeals court opening
By BILL RANKIN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Debbie Sez: “Mike is a great guy and would make a great judge.”
Right….and Debbie said the same thing about ASH, Ralph Reed, and many other people.
I’m not interested in “great guys” being judges. I am interested in SANE people being judges. By SANE, I mean those types NOT prone to being yanked by any agenda…and, especially the agenda of the far-right religious groups who have proven time and time again to be ANTI-FREEDOM OF RELIGION.
For the record, John Kerry was ALSO a “former prosecutor.”
“Mike is a great guy and would make a great judge.”
Agreed!!!
As one of the people working to bring up John Marshall, thanks DoubleDawg for the encouragement. I will remind everyone we have been producing Georgia attorneys for 75 years. Our alumni include Judge James Bodiford who is presiding over the Nichols trial, State Rep. Doug Collins, Gwinnett Judge James Oxendine (father of Commissioner Ox), Neal Boortz, Cobb Solicitor General Barry Morgan, etc.
For those like me who are not fresh out of undergrad and wanted to get a JD, there really is only 2 choices, Georgia State and JMLS.
We have a new Dean who has come to us after heading up Pepperdine’s Law Scool. Pepperdine replaced Richard Lynn with an unknown attorney named Ken Starr. My Legal Writing Professor was Gwinnett State Court Judge Randy Rich.
Back to the topic at hand, I will be sending out a press release confirming that the 11th Congressional District Republican Committee endorsed Sheffield for the Court of Appeals.
While a lot of Republican attorneys I respect very highly are supporting Sarah Doyle, personally, I believe Sheffield is the better experienced for the position. He has spent his career in court and has been practicing law since Sarah Doyle was 6 years old.
This is not a legislative postion, but one that does require experience as to the issues that face when coming into court.
A judge does not need to know the law by heart to be a judge. Both Mike and Sarah would have clerks to help them look up the law to help them write their opinions. Mike’s experience comes in with decades of dealing with the rules and procedures of the court system itself and insights that can only be gained going in from of hundreds of judges over the years and seeing the good and bad points of them all.
A judge does not need to know the law by heart to be a judge. Both Mike and Sarah would have clerks to help them look up the law to help them write their opinions.
That’s putting it mildly.
Sara Doyle would not answer a questionaire from Christian alliance but she did answer a questionaire from Georgia Equality. That says a lot about her beliefs. It was very hypocritical of her to answer Georgia Equality’s but not Christian Alliance’s questionaire. I could understand her reasoning had she refused to answer both, but she did not.
Here is Doyle’s reasoning in a letter to Fields.
http://www.gachristianalliance.org/docs/2008_voter_guide_sdoyle.pdf
I am confident that Sheffield would not be an activist judge. I believe that Doyle would and that is why she has the support of most Democrats and liberal groups.
As stated in her letter to GCA, what it says is that Doyle feels “that it would not be appropriate for [her] to respond to [Georgia Christian Alliance's] Questionnaire or similar questionnaires that ask for responses to hypothetical issues that may come before [her] as a judge[.]” Now if you can show that Georgia Equality’s questionnaire also asks for responses to hypothetical issues that may come before her as a judge, then you have a point. Otherwise all you’re showing is that Doyle wanted to talk to any constituency that would listen as long as they didn’t ask inappropriate questions. Because GCA’s questions definitely cross the line, and because Sheffield answered them anyway, he will sink or swim with the support of rabid pro-lifers, pandering Republican politicians, misogynists and the generally uninformed. That’s a disturbingly strong coalition in Georgia, however, so keep your chin up.
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