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ARCHIVED WEBSITE: No new data posted since Sept. 1986

NOTICE: The last input into this website was 1986, and it is considered archived.

Prior to ProCon.org being formed in July 2004, ProCon.org's Chairman, Steve Markoff, and two others published a 72-page booklet in September 1986 about the pros and cons of California Supreme Court Chief Justice Rose Bird titled "Should Chief Justice Rose Bird Be Reconfirmed in the Upcoming November 4, 1986 California Election?"

Mr. Markoff reformatted that 1986 booklet into a website which served as a predecessor to ProCon.org.

For a list of ProCon.org websites, please visit www.procon.org.



The booklet "Should Chief Justice Rose Bird Be Re-Confirmed In The Upcoming November 4, 1986 California Election?" was originally published in September 1986 by the non-profit organization Association of Media Accuracy. On Aug. 28, 2003 that 73-page booklet was converted into the website www.RoseBirdProCon.org.

In most cases, the format, wording, and terms used in the Sept. 1986 publication have been transferred, but, in some cases, the terms have been updated. For example, "Definitions" was replaced by "Glossary" in the site's header.

This site presents in a simple, nonpartisan pro-con format, responses to the core question "Should Chief Justice Rose Bird be Reconfirmed (In the Upcoming November 4, 1986 California Election)?" We have divided questions about the topic into the issues and sub-issues listed below. [Note: Rose Bird received less than 40% support in the Nov. 4, 1986 election and was not reconfirmed.]

S I T E R E S O U R C E S
R O S E B I R D I S S U E S
Pros and Cons - Read the main arguments in minutes
Death Penalty History
A recap of the death penalty history that led to this conflict.
Execution Chart
A chart detailing executions in the ten most populous U.S. states: 1975 to 1985.
Capital Punishment Laws
A recap of capital punishment laws in the ten most populous western industrialized nations.
Criminal Appeals Statistics: 1968-84
A chart of the criminal appeals statistics from 1968 to 1984.
Voting Records - Death Penalty Cases
Voting records of Supreme Court justices in death penalty cases.
Court's Voting Conformity - Death Penalty Cases
Court's voting record on death penalty cases.
Court Unity
Charts detailing the unity of the court's decisions on death penalty cases.
Special Circumstances
Listing of the special circumstances under which a convicted murderer is eligible for the death penalty or life without possibility of parole.
Death Penalty Decisions: 1977-1985
A chart detailing the Court's death penalty decisions from 1977 to 1985.
Case Chart
A chart that provides a chronological and comparative view of the California Supreme Court's voting record on the guilt, special circumstances, and penalty phase of each case.
Negative Business Impact Cases
A listing of the 31 alleged "Negative Business Impact Cases."
Readers' Comments
See what our readers have sent in regarding the Rose Bird debate.
Contact Us
Comments? Suggestions? Criticisms? Let us know.
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Background / History
Background / History

Supreme Court Issues
Confirmation Process
Court Independence
Internal Court Workings
Voter Perception
Court on Crime

Rose Bird Issues
Experience
Court Administration
Death Penalty
Legal Technicalities
Exclusionary Rule
Rape
Reapportionment / Ballot
Gun Laws
Depublication
Other Major Decisions

Summary
Summary

R O S EB I R DN E W S A N D N O T I C E S
Summary: Rose Bird was appointed Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court in 1977 by Governor Jerry Brown, and was a controversial justice.

Those for her said that under her leadership the court strengthened environmental laws, consumer rights, and the rights of women and minorities. Those against her claimed that she had no prior experience on the bench, and she was soft on crime, voting to overturn or remand (return) to the lower courts 58 of 58 death penalty cases. (She voted with the majority 94.83% of the time in 55 of the 58 cases.)

On November 4, 1986 her position became subject to a contentious state-wide election on whether or not to reconfirm her position, and that of several other justices, for another 12-year term.

For the sake of perspective, we have included two historical sections; one which details the evolution of California's system of judicial confirmation elections, and the other which gives a brief legal history of the death penalty.

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