#32 The Battle for Our Liberties

IDENTITY POLITICS | Mark Boonstra: We indeed are in a battle for our freedoms in America today . . . just as we were nearly 250 years ago.

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In the spiritual battles we face, the believer’s “last line of defense” is Christ’s unshakable power and presence within us. When all else fails, it is Christ who stands as our ultimate protector and refuge. His victory on the cross and His resurrection ensure that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. In moments of weakness, doubt, and fear, we can rely on His strength, knowing that He has already overcome the world. Our faith in Him becomes a shield, extinguishing the fiery darts of the enemy. As we stand firm in His promises, we are reminded that ‘greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.’ In Christ, we find our final and most formidable defense, securing our victory and peace. This principle also applies to our responsibility of voting righteously. -SR Phinney

In an election season such as the one in which we now find ourselves, it is often difficult to keep up with everything that is demanding our attention. And particularly in a presidential election year, we naturally tend to focus on the highest profile campaigns.

This year, of course, we will now be choosing between former President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris for the highest office in the land. Thirty-four seats in the United States Senate and all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives are being contested, and control of the legislative branch of government thus also hangs in the balance.

Oh, and let’s not forget that we have 50 states in our national union, and each has its own elected offices that will also be on the ballot. This may include governor, state senator, state representative, perhaps state attorney general and secretary of state. Some states elect agricultural directors, state boards of education, university governing boards. etc., etc., etc.

And, of course, there are local elections as well. County commissioners, county clerks, mayors, city commissioners, township supervisors, township clerks and trustees. The list goes on and on.

Wait. Let’s not forget ballot measures. Referendums, initiatives, constitutional amendments, local millages.

In the midst of all of that, let’s remember that we have a third branch of government – the judicial branch. And it is that branch of government that I would like to focus on today.

There are, of course, various methods by which our states select their judges. And the methods vary, even within a state, depending on the level of the court. That is, trial judges and intermediate appellate court judges are often selected differently than are the justices of a state’s highest court.

And even at the state Supreme Court level, selection methods vary. [As an aside, the state of New York refers to its trial courts as its “Supreme Court,” while referring to its highest court as the “Court of Appeals.”] Some states, for example, use a method similar to that of our federal court system, with a nomination by the state’s governor and confirmation by the state’s senate. Some use a “merit selection” component. In a couple of states, judges are selected by the state legislature.

And some states – my own state of Michigan included – hold judicial elections. Some of these states hold partisan judicial elections, while others hold non-partisan judicial elections. Michigan has its own unique system: state Supreme Court candidates are nominated at political party conventions, and they then appear on the non-partisan section of the ballot in the general election.

In my experience, one of the unfortunate factors present in judicial elections is that voters oftentimes know little if anything about the judicial candidates when they enter the voting booth. That, I would suggest, needs to change. The judiciary is simply too important to our system of government for us to be ill-informed when selecting our judges.

As I campaign across the state of Michigan, I sometimes remark that the judiciary is the last line of defense in the battle for our liberties. I stress that it is the courts that must implement the Rule of Law and it is the courts that must enforce the separation of powers. Too often, for example, the executive branch of government overreaches by assuming authority to do that which only the legislature is authored to do under our federal and state constitutions. Too often, the legislatures forego their responsibility to enact legislation, and instead delegate their authority to unelected administrative agencies. And too many judges can’t resist the temptation to legislate from the bench to impose their own policy preferences under the guise of the authority they wrongly believe flows from the black robes they happen to wear. When these government overreaches occur, it is the states’ highest courts – as the final arbiters of legal disputes – that must draw the line, that must insist that executive officers, legislators, and judges exercise the authority – and only the authority – given to them under our constitutions, and that they stay in their proper lane.

As you prepare to vote in November . . . don’t forget about the elected judiciary. Educate yourselves, your family members, your friends, your neighbors about them. Work for those who share your values and who will enforce the Rule of Law and the separation of powers. Knock on doors. Make phone calls. Distribute literature. Put up signs. Donate to their campaigns. Help however you can.

We indeed are in a battle for our freedoms in America today . . . just as we were nearly 250 years ago.

The courts are the last line of defense in that battle.

Remember that as you prepare for November.

Identity Politics, with Mark Boonstra & Dr. Stephen Phinney, is an extension of IOM America’s IM Christian Writers Association. The mission of the authors is to restore faith in God & country.

Read the Identity Politics Divine Overview of this series HERE.

-Mark | Mark’s Substack | Visit Mark’s Website

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