The Executive Council voted 4-1 to reject the nomination of Brian Shaughnessy as New Hampshire’s newest circuit court judge. Three Republicans and one Democrat voted against, with Councilor Ted Gatsas the only vote in favor.
Shaughnessy was a bad choice from go, plagued with integrity issues tied to his hometown of Bedford.
In an exclusive Op-ed for GraniteGrok.com, Robert Fojo summed them up nicely here.
Government officials are supposed to follow the limited laws that govern them. Judges, likewise, are supposed to adhere to their limited roles in our republic. If an official such as Shaughnessy ignores the fact he had no authority to provide legal advice to the Town, and acted outside of his authority in doing so, why should we trust that he would adhere to the law (and not act outside his authority) as a judge?
…In this era where judges who actually follow and apply the law are hard to find, Shaughnessy does not deserve a vote of confidence.
And he did not get it.
Mr. Sununu will have to put the re-re-redistricting map and make another pick from his bag of cronies which, in our experience, will result in someone markedly worse.
We’ll have to get back to you on who that is when he makes the announcement.
