Legislature must end the witch hunts
February 27, 2011
And now, more news from the asylum that is the New Hampshire House. Last year, a small group of state representatives, prompted by complaints from men angry about the outcome of their divorce cases, tried to use the archaic "bill of address" process to remove two marital masters and a judge. They didn't succeed, but they didn't give up.
This year, four representatives, Daniel Itse of Fremont , Paul Ingbretson of Pike, Al Baldasaro of Londonderry and Carl Seidel of Nashua , asked the House Judiciary Committee to investigate whether grounds exist to justify the impeachment of one of those marital masters, Phillip Cross, for maladministration and malpractice.
Their actions are an abuse of their legislative office and, as District Court Judge Edwin Kelly told lawmakers, an attempt to breach the separation of powers. It is these lawmakers, not Cross, who should be sanctioned. The full House should proceed no further with this group's witch hunt.