Supports VanDyke

From a qualifications standpoint, there are many great reasons to support Lawrence VanDyke for Supreme Court Justice. Lawrence isn’t a slicked-down trial lawyer in a three-piece suit. He’s an everyday Montanan, steeped in the culture of our state. He also happens to be one of the finest judicial minds this state has ever produced, graduating at the top of his class from Harvard Law School.

But here’s a reason that hits everyone’s pocketbook. Insurance agents tell me their companies see Montana as a very risky, high liability state, which they directly attribute to our precedent-ignoring, anti-business, liberal activist Montana Supreme Court.

Some companies have left the state rather than write policies in our crazy and unstable judicial environment, thus reducing competition and consumer choice. The others are forced to raise their rates, creating a heavy burden borne by all Montana families, businesses, schools and tax-supported institutions.

Bottom line, the bizarre and often extreme political activism of Montana Supreme Court justices like Mike Wheat lowers the quality of our lives. We pay dearly for electing politicians and activist trial lawyers to our high court. According to the insurance industry, Montana auto rates are the fourth worst in the nation, as compared to states where supreme court decisions are rational and judicially rather than politically driven.  

People are finally paying attention to how their daily lives are impacted by having one of the nation’s worst, most frequently overturned supreme courts. They are voting for change, and Lawrence VanDyke is just what the doctor ordered.

Roger Koopman

Montana Public Service Commissioner