Litigation

For grandstanding, more litigation, elect D.C.'s attorney general

By Carter Wood

I cast an early ballot in Washington, D.C., last evening, preparing to become one of the many undervotes on every race. There are candidates for U.S. Representative? When did the states ratify that constitutional amendment? (DC Voter Guide)

Should have done my homework. On the ballot is a charter amendment to make the district's attorney general's office, now filled by mayoral appointment, an elected position. (Proposed Charter Amendment IV) The City Council voted 12-1 in February to put the measure on the ballot; if approved, voters would elect the AG beginning in 2014.

I reasoned out my no vote this way:

As a matter of practical politics, this is a terrible idea. The District of Columbia is a one-party state district, in which the winner of the Democratic primary will be a shoo-in for AG. Two kinds of candidates seem likely to succeed: a populist promising to bring down business and redistribute wealth, or a glib practitioner of cynical politics with access to trial lawyer contributions. Or a combination of both.

Full post as published by Point of Law on October 28, 2010 (boomark / email).