Judge Jones in the news

[Savonarola]

Judge John E. Jones III, who ruled authoritatively against the proponents of Intelligent Design in December, has been recognized by TIME as one of 100 people who shape our world. Their little blurb starts out with a great description of situation:

Judge John Jones must have seemed like the answer to creationists' prayers: a Bush-appointed Republican federal judge, and a Lutheran to boot, chosen by lot to decide whether school-board guidance on the teaching of intelligent design to public schools in Dover, Pa., breached the First Amendment separation of church and state. When Jones delivered his judgment in December, however, he proved to be the answer to Darwinians' prayers instead.

Can't say I like the use of the descriptor "Darwinians" (since I'm not from the country of Darwinia), but it's a decent article nonetheless.

Read more here.

~~~~~~~~~~

The York Daily Record has an article about a recent speech Jones gave regarding keeping politics and judicial decisions separate.

The judicial system is no place for political leanings or for judges to use their jobs to rule in favor of the majority opinion, he said. That is the role of the executive and legislative branches. Instead, judges should make decisions based on the law, not based on personal affiliation, he said.

Read the article to see the quote from some nutjob who thinks Jones was obligated to rule in favor of evangelism.

[Barbara Fitzpatrick]

The fundies should have paid more attention to his religion - Lutherans aren't usually nutcases (except for their extreme wing - everybody seems to have an extreme wing). Jones is proof that not all of W's lower court appointees are going to be serious problems for the next couple of decades. I ask no more of a judge than to make decisions based on law.

The MSM likes the term "Darwinians" - they can play the "he said, she said" game with that kind of term. Besides, it's easier than saying "the proponents of science", which is more accurate than saying scientists - since most of us who want science taught in the schools aren't actually scientists ourselves.