Views on News • January 28th, 2009

Is age a factor?

by Chris Lato

Regarding the upcoming state Supreme Court race, I’m merely raising the question: is Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson too old to run? Assuming she serves out her full 10-year term, she will be 85 at the end of the road.

I have no inside knowledge about her health - presumably she’s sharp as a tack. Otherwise, evidence to the contrary would likely be clear on the campaign trail.

Still, I wonder: are the people who will vote for Justice Abrahamson the same ones who had an issue with John McCain’s age? Was it fair then, and would it be fair now to use age as a factor when making a voting decision?

(And fear not, I understand the massive differences in levels of responsibility between President and a state Supreme Court justice.)

I considered McCain’s age a factor. The leader of the free world has to remain at the top of his game at all times. I admit to considering Abrahamson’s age a factor as well – not a deal breaker, necessarily, but a fair issue to think about.

Of course, there’s another reason to consider why Abrahamson is mounting a campaign at a time when most others would be considering a move to Florida. Perhaps Abrahamson wants to win the seat to protect her point of view – meaning, get elected now and in the event she retires from the bench early, a Democrat governor will be able to appoint someone who adheres to Abrahamson’s point of view.

A decade is a long time to ensure a seat is protected from occupation by a conservative – and when one considers how conservatives have been racking up the high court wins in recent elections, those on the other side of the aisle undoubtedly want to do what it takes to prevent another loss.

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