Judge Donald Malloy 1, Jake Eaton 0

It’s too bad that wit is wasted on people like Jake Eaton. Judge Donald Malloy, today:

A Hobbesian nightmare!

Determined to prevent the Hobbesian nightmare sure to ensue if voters’ mailing addresses do not match their residential addresses, Eaton employed an auditor to pore over the United States Postal Service’s change of address registry, and to compare the names in it to the names on voter rolls in some Montana counties.  A self-described guardian of the integrity of a political system designed to guarantee the right of the people to govern themselves, Eaton targeted counties with young and likely Democratic voters, who might have changed their mailing addresses without changing their voter registration information.

The transient hordes!

In his zeal to protect what he sees as Montana’s fragile  democracy from these transient hordes, Eaton ignored the very law that answers his challenges.  How can one so concerned with the integrity of the State’s democratic process be adept at invoking the law to keep people from voting, without realizing that the same law renders his claim meritless if not frivolous?

Healthy Respect for the rule of law!

Eaton’s challenges are meritless under federal law.  It is not within the power of this Court, however, to compel Eaton or anyone else to demonstrate a healthy respect for the rule of law
and its role in a democratic political community.  The responsibility for preventing such a cynical use of state law by a private citizen or political party lies with the voters themselves.

Update: From jhwygirl, is Brad Johnson qualified to do his job?

Tagged as: Jake Eaton

Article by Don Pogreba

Don is an English/Debate teacher and debate handbook author who lives in Helena, MT, and who can't imagine living anywhere other than this glorious state. Much of his writing happens late at night and he is unlikely to respond to your comments during the day.