Brown County, TX
Republican Party

2006 STATE REPUBLICAN PARTY PLATFORM

• Direct Election of State Judges – We support our right to select our judges by a direct vote of the people and oppose all attempts to impose an appointment/retention process.
• Visiting Judges – We support legislation prohibiting judges defeated by the electorate from serving as visiting judges, or acting as judges in any capacity, until such time they are reinstated by the electorate through a subsequent election.
• Judicial Conduct – We affirm that judges should not express bias or prejudice in the discharge of their duties.
• Jury Reform – We support legislation protecting the right to privacy and security of prospective jurors during the jury selection process. The courts must show the relevance of questions asked of jurors and perform a balancing test between the prospective juror’s right to privacy and the relevance of the lawyer’s need to know. We support legislation enabling either party in a criminal trial to inform the jurors of their right to determine the facts and to render a verdict according to conscience.
• Qualified Juror Service – We urge the limitation of jury service to those who are registered voters.
• Administrative Justice – We support the right of citizens to full and open participation in the state’s administrative law processes. We oppose any amendments to the Administrative Procedures and Texas Register Act or any other laws, regulations, and rules that unreasonably limit ordinary citizen input.
• Judicial Restraint – We urge Congress to adopt the Constitutional Restoration Act and support the principle of judicial restraint, which requires judges to interpret and apply rather than make the law. We encourage the support of judges who strictly interpret the law based on the law’s original intent. We oppose judges abusing their constitutional authority by usurping jurisdiction organic to the States, assuming for themselves the legislative powers, or basing decisions on jurisprudence emanating from jurisdictions foreign to our Constitution and laws.
• Remedies to Activist Judiciary – We call on the Congress and the President to use their constitutional powers to restrain activist judges.
  
  
  1. Impeachment - We call on the Congress to adopt the Judicial Conduct Act of 2005 and exercise their authority to impeach and remove federal judges who abuse their constitutional authority or are no longer acting on good behavior.
  2. Appellate Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court – Congress should be urged to exercise its authority under Article III, Sections 1 and 2 of the United States Constitution, and should withhold appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in such cases involving abortion, religious freedom, and all rights guaranteed under the Bill of Rights.
  3. Judicial Nominees – We urge the Republican leadership in the Senate to take appropriate action to ensure that a record vote on the floor is taken on every judicial nominee.

• State Bar Requirements - We call upon the Texas Legislature and the Supreme Court of Texas to remove the prohibition on out-of-state attorneys who obtain their law degree through distance learning (curriculum and coursework through electronic means or the mail) from taking the Texas Bar Exam.
• Statutory Authority for Regulation – We believe defendants charged with violation of a governmental regulation have the right to demand to see the enabling legislative act upon which the regulation is based.
  
  Return to the Texas 2006 Republican Platform
  
  Voter Registration Information
  
  Click "Get Out The Vote" Image
  Home   Local Party Info.   2006 Texas Republican Platform   Elected Officials & Other Vital Links   Candidates   Calendar  
  
  Paid for by the Republican Party of Brown County, Texas