Letter: Vote for Swanberg and Ekstrom for Superior Court judge

Voting for judges is interesting, important, and frustrating. Laws prevent candidates from saying almost anything meaningful about their views or their opponents. I’m voting for Sam Swanberg and Alex Ekstrom, and I’ll tell you why.

Ekstrom is a sitting Superior Court judge running for re-election. His opponent is the same attorney he ruled against in the case of Barronelle Stutzman (Arlene’s Flowers). Regardless of where your sympathies lie, the law is plain in the matter, very plain, and Ekstrom refused to legislate from the bench; he chose instead to follow the rule of law. That is what I want from a judge, that and the intelligence and even-handedness he has already shown.

Swanberg is running against Benton County District Court Judge Joe Burrowes for a vacant Superior Court seat. Swanberg is an extremely sharp, well-rounded, experienced former prosecutor with much Superior Court experience. Burrowes has been in District Court, handling DUIs and domestic violence cases. He has been overturned on appeals a few times (which will happen, admittedly). I’m willing to say that Burrowes would do good work in Superior Court, but I think Swanberg would do better work.

Make an informed choice, not simple name recognition.

This story was originally published July 8, 2016 at 2:17 AM with the headline "Letter: Vote for Swanberg and Ekstrom for Superior Court judge."