The Arizona Supreme Court has overruled Governor Jan Brewer’s attempt to impeach the head of the independent re-districting committee. I thought this was typical:
Acting Chief Justice Andrew Hurwitz tried to test the limits of the governor’s authority.
If a commissioner wore a purple dress the governor didn’t like, or if she disapproved of a certain haircut, could the governor remove the commissioner? he asked.
Yes, Hauser said. That’s because the constitutional amendment that created the redistricting commission gives the governor wide berth in judging whether there has been misconduct. It doesn’t provide a role for the court to substitute its judgment for the governor’s, she said.
A lot of laws are drawn up with the assumption that those executing the laws will have at least a wee bit of good faith and public spirit. In this case, Arizona was wrong: there’s no such thing in the modern Republican Party.