Editor, Times-Union: On Tuesday, Nov. 6, most of us will head to the polls and cast our vote for effective leadership. Perhaps you’ve already decided on the big seats and are ready to cast your ballot. However, at the end of the ballot are a host of state and local candidates that we typically regard as unimportant. This year must be an exception. We must fight the urge to simply vote “no, yes, no or yes to all or no to all” as we go down that list of unrecognizable names. This year, the Indiana Supreme Court judgeships deserve our scrutiny, especially Justice Steven David who is up for retention vote. Who is he? Please allow me to remind you that in May of 2011, Justice David basically struck down our age-old Castle Doctrine, thus stomping on the Fourth Amendment rights of Hoosiers in his ruling of Barnes V Indiana. In Justice David’s own words, “We hold that there is no right to reasonably resist entry by police officers…” Perhaps you recall the flack surrounding that decision? In effect, his ruling gave police unprecedented power to enter a Hoosier’s home at will. And earlier in 2012, Justice David was also instrumental in a ruling that essentially prevented the citizens of Ogden Dunes from renting their residences out. Of course, his ruling applied to all Hoosiers. Maybe I don’t live on Lake Michigan, but if I wanted to rent a room to someone, shouldn’t that be my decision? To learn more about the decisions of Justice David, please go to www.VoteNoJusticeDavid2012.com and don’t stop there! I have already cast my vote and must admit I was unfamiliar with several of the candidates on the ballot. Therefore, study up! We don’t need activists in office; we need elected officials who will uphold our laws and our Constitution. Debra Zawlocki South Whitley, via e-mail
