Drinky-Drivey Supreme Court Candidate Will Bible You So Hard, Minnesota

Hey, remember Michelle MacDonald, the completely sober lady who's running for Minnesota Supreme Court and insists that DUI charges against her are a political frame-up, even though she refused a breathalyzer test and was charged with resisting arrest, too? Turns out she is also a big fan of the true law of the land: The Holy Bible, though she hears tell that there are some other, lesser statutes out there, too, like the Constitution.

In video from the state Republican Convention, MacDonald held a bible over her head and explained (probably completely accurately! ) the Genesis (get it???) of a longstanding (we just slay us!) tradition:

Did you ever wonder why, when a judge enters a courtroom, you hear the words [taps gavel on podium] "All Rise"? Let me tell you why: When judges used to enter the courtroom, they would hold a Bible over their head, like this.

[MacDonald holds a Bible over her head to applause.]

In the words of George Washington, it is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.

Yes, this is a woman who pledges to "uphold your fundamental liberty rights" -- you just know that she prays to "FatherGod" too. And for that matter, if she's going to treat her Bible as her legal guide, why is she even seeking a post where she'll have to have authority over men? St. Paul -- the dude, not the city -- would be very displeased. 

Now, there's also the tiny problem that George Washington never said that thing about the Bible. Somebody said it in a biography of Washington, but they aren't Washington's words, not even remotely (this information comes from the notoriously left-wing Mount Vernon Library). But it's a nice quote, and the fact that it's fake shouldn't get in the way of recognizing that just as in Olde Englande, the Bible is the actual source of all law, because no other civilization has treated murder or theft as crimes.

And for that matter, frankly, we're also skeptical of that story about the Bible as the source of "All Rise" -- it could be true, but it sure sounds like one of those rightwing Christian "just so" stories. A few minutes of online searching found only an Arizona Republic piece as a source (no, we are not going to dig deeper). A reddit thread on a related topic (yes, we know, reddit ain't authoritative either) suggests the more credible explanation that the tradition has more to do with the idea that the court

is the representative of the sovereign. The historical idea was that the court is responsible for enforcing the King's justice. Therefore, the judge and the court are accorded a level of respect as an extension of the crown.

OK, but that's really getting off onto a trivia detour, now isn't it?

Also worth noting, in addition to her fun ideas about the primacy of the Bible in law, is this little story about a fun 2013 courtroom incident that MacDonald was involved in while representing a client, according to the Star-Tribune:  

According to the documents, MacDonald was handcuffed, placed in wheel chair and wheeled back into the courtroom by a deputy. The hearing resumed and MacDonald continued to represent her client, but she was in a wheel chair and handcuffed. MacDonald was jailed for multiple days, but was eventually released without being charged.

Yep, we bet there's a bit more to that story. Wonder if the details are going to come out? We bet she was railroaded in that case, too, which just proves all the more why Minnesota needs a conservative justice on its supreme court, someone who's willing to make up good stories for Jesus and take responsibility for her own actions by saying that she's the victim of a political vendetta.

[ Star-Tribune via RawStory ]

 Thomas Jefferson said that if you love your fundamental liberty rights, you should follow Doktor Zoom on Twitter.