Wikipedia

Clint Bolick

Clint Bolick(born December 26, 1957) is a justice of theArizona Supreme Court.Previously, he served as Vice President of Litigation at the conservative/libertarianGoldwater Institute.He co-founded the libertarianInstitute for Justice,where he was the Vice President and Director of Litigation from 1991 until 2004. He led two cases that went before the Supreme Court of the United States. He has also defended state-basedschool choiceprograms in the Supreme Courts ofWisconsinandOhio.

Clint Bolick
Clint Bolick
Justice of theArizona Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 6, 2016
Appointed byDoug Ducey
Preceded byRebecca White Berch
Personal details
Born(1957-12-26)December 26, 1957(age 67)
Elizabeth, New Jersey,U.S.
SpouseShawnna Bolick
EducationDrew University(BA)
University of California, Davis(JD)

Early life and education

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Bolick was born on December 26, 1957 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Bolick grew up in nearby Hillside, New Jersey and graduated fromHillside High Schoolin 1975.[1]He graduated from Drew University in 1979 and received his Juris Doctor from the University of California Davis School of Law in 1982. As a law student, he supported laws and legal rulings that knocked down racial discrimination (callingBrown v. Board of Educationa "triumph of the principle of equality"[2]), and was a vocal opponent ofAffirmative Action-based admission policies.[3]

In 1980, he ran as aLibertarianfor a seat in theCalifornia State Assembly.He lost to an incumbentDemocratbut garnered 7.1% of the vote. (In that election, the Libertarian presidential ticket earned about 1% of the vote nationwide.)[4]

Career

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In 1982, he joined a public interest law firm, theMountain States Legal Foundationin Denver, Colorado. He was hired by the foundation's acting president,William H. "Chip" Mellor.[5]In 1984,[6]Mellor left the organization over a conflict with one of the foundation's sponsors.[5]Bolick also left, believing that the foundation was more interested in protecting business interests than in promoting economic freedom.[6]In 2005, he said:

Chip and I discovered that there is a world of difference between an organization that is pro-business and an organization that is pro-free enterprise.[5]

After their break with Mountain States, they began planning a free-enterprise public interest law firm that would follow a philosophy of "economic liberty."[6]These plans would lead to the founding of the Institute for Justice in 1991.[5][6]

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Justice Department

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Bolick joined theEqual Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC) in 1985. While he only stayed at the EEOC for a year, he became friends with its chairman, future Supreme Court JusticeClarence Thomas.(Thomas is the godfather to Bolick's second son.[7]) Thomas helped convince him that removing economic barriers for the poor was more important than fighting race-based "reverse discrimination."[8]In 1991, he would support adding punitive damages toTitle VIIof theCivil Rights Act of 1964.He explained "It seemed to me that if you didn't wantquotas,you had to have tough remedies and punitive damages against recalcitrant discriminators... That very much came out of Thomas. "[9]Thomas also shaped his preferred remedy for inequality: removing laws and regulations he viewed as preventing the poor from starting small businesses. Thomas did this in part by telling Bolick about his grandfather, who began with a hand-built pushcart and built a profitable delivery service that comfortably supported his family, only to encounter threats from regulations designed to destroy Black-owned businesses.[7]

Bolick left the EEOC to join the Justice Department in 1986. In 1988, he wrote his first book,Changing Course.In this book, he definedcivil rightsin part from the perspective of removing economic and regulatory barriers for the poor and disadvantaged.[6]

Landmark Center for Civil Rights

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In 1989, he left the Justice Department and, with a grant from theLandmark Legal Foundation,started a public advocacy law practice in Washington, D.C. In its first case, the Landmark Center for Civil Rights represented Washington shoeshine stand owner Ego Brown in his attempt to overturn aJim Crow-era law against bootblack stands on public streets. The law was designed to restrict economic opportunities for African-Americans, but was still being enforced 85 years after its passage. He sued the District of Columbia on Brown's behalf, and the law was overturned in 1989.[8][10]

While working for the Landmark Legal Foundation, he defended the first Wisconsinschool voucherprogram in court.[11][12]

He supported Thomas during hisconfirmation hearings for the Supreme Court.On July 31, 1991, about 45 people from Thomas' hometown of Pin Point, Georgia visited Washington to show support for the nominee. At the time, Bolick toldThe Washington Postthat the Landmark Center for Civil Rights raised $3,000 to pay for bus rental and contributed another $1,100 for hotel charges.[13]

Institute for Justice

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In 1991, Bolick and Chip Mellor (his former Boss from the Mountain States Legal Foundation) co-founded theInstitute for Justicewith funding from billionaireCharles Koch.[14]He was the Vice President and Director of Litigation from 1991 until 2004. The organization litigates on behalf of small businesses faced with regulations that it views as unjustified or anti-competitive. It also promotes school choice, property rights, and free speech.[8][15][16]Bolick and the institute were active in defending a Cleveland, Ohio school voucher program, which was declared constitutional in a 2002 Supreme Court case,Zelman v. Simmons-Harris[17]The court ruled in favor of a Cincinnati, Ohio school voucher program, allowing the use of public money to pay tuition at private and parochial schools.[18] He led the caseSwedenburg v. Kellywhile at the institute. This case was consolidated withGranholm v. Healdand considered by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005. Bolick argued the case before the court, along with attorneyKathleen Sullivan.[19]The court struck down regulatory barriers to direct interstate shipment of wine to consumers.[20]

In April 1993, he wrote an op-ed forThe Wall Street Journalopposing two appointments by theClinton administration(Lani Guinierto assistant attorney general for civil rights andNorma V. Cantuto assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education). TheJournalran the piece under the headline "Clinton's Quota Queens."[21][22]After the piece was published, he distributed information about Guinier's writings and interpreted them for reporters. He also appeared onNightlineandCrossfireto oppose her appointment. The article and Bolick's subsequent efforts were credited with helping end Guinier's appointment.[23]On June 3, 1993, PresidentBill Clintonwithdrew her nomination. Clinton stated that he had not read Guinier's writings at the time of her nomination, and called some of them "anti-democratic".[24]Clinton went on to describe the effort to stop Guinier's appointment as "a campaign ofright-wingdistortion and vilification ", and according to press reports referred to Bolick's editorial with" particular scorn ".[25]Other critics accused Bolick and conservatives who opposed Guinier of racism and sexism, often citing the phrase "quota queen" as evidence.[23][26][27]

Alliance for School Choice

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In 2004, Bolick joined theAlliance for School Choice,a national non-profit educational policy group advocating school choice programs across the United States. He was this organization's first president and general counsel.[28]

Goldwater Institute

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Bolick speaking at the 2014 Goldwater Dinner in Scottsdale, Arizona

In 2007, he became the Vice President for Litigation at theGoldwater Institutewhen that organization added a litigation group.[29]

Bolick helped to draft model legislation known as the 'Health Care Freedom Act' that would prohibit health insurers from accepting federal subsidies under theAffordable Care Actthat trigger theemployer mandate.[30]Arizona and Oklahoma voters approved a version of the Health Care Freedom Act in their respective November 2010 general elections.[31][32]} Also in November 2010, voters in Arizona, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah adopted a measure he drafted calledSave Our Secret Ballot,which guarantees workers the right to a secret-ballot vote in union-organizing elections.[31][33][34]

In 2012, he was an attorney for a Mesa tattoo parlor that had been denied a business license by the city. The case resulted in the Arizona Supreme Court declaring tattoosConstitutionallyprotected free speech. Bolick marked his victory by getting a small tattoo of a scorpion on his index finger.[35][36]

On July 30, 2015, Republican presidential candidateDonald Trumpcalled for the deportation of all of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States. Bolick called Trump's idea "impractical and opposed by a large majority of Americans."[37]

Appointment to Arizona Supreme Court

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On January 6, 2016, GovernorDoug Duceyappointed Bolick to the Arizona Supreme Court.[38]He won retention for a 6-year term in 2018.[39]

Works

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Nonfiction books

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  • Changing Course: Civil Rights at the Crossroads(1988)ISBN978-0887381799
  • Unfinished Business: A Civil Rights Strategy for America's Third Century(1990)ISBN978-0936488356
  • Grassroots Tyranny: The Limits of Federalism(1993)ISBN978-1882577019
  • The Affirmative Action Fraud: Can We Restore the American Civil Rights Vision?(1996)ISBN978-1882577279
  • Transformation: The Promise and Politics of Empowerment(1998)ISBN978-1558155060
  • Voucher Wars: Waging the Legal Battle Over School Choice(2003)ISBN978-1930865372
  • Leviathan: The Growth of Local Government and the Erosion of Liberty (2004)ISBN978-0817945527
  • David's Hammer: The Case for an Activist Judiciary(2007)ISBN978-1933995038
  • Death Grip: Loosening the Law's Stranglehold over Economic Liberty(2011)ISBN978-0817913144
  • Two-Fer: Electing a President and a Supreme Court(2012)ISBN978-0817914646
  • Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution(Jeb Bush) (2013)ISBN978-1476713458

Fiction books

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Other

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Bolick has authored and co-authored numerous other paperbacks, ebooks and audiobooks.

Awards

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In 2006, he won one of the fourBradley Prizes.The Bradley Prize included a one-time $250,000 stipend.[40]He is currently a Research Fellow atStanford University'sHoover Institution.[41]American Lawyermagazine named him one of three Lawyers of the Year in 2003. In 2009,Legal Timesincluded him in their list of the "90 greatest Washington lawyers of the past 30 years".[41]

Personal life

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Bolick is married toArizona State RepresentativeShawnna Bolick.[42][43]They have two children.[44]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Bolick, Clint."Remedial Education (Clint Bolick)",Center for Education Reform. Accessed July 5, 2017. "I grew up in Hillside, a suburb of Newark, in a single-parent, working-class family. In 1975, Hillside High School graduated me with enough skills to secure a scholarship at an excellent college and go on to a successful career in law and public policy."
  2. ^Easton, Nina J. (2000).Gang of Five: Leaders at the Center of the Conservative Crusade.New York City:Simon & Schuster.pp.91.ISBN0743203208.triumph of the principle of equality.
  3. ^Easton, p. 96
  4. ^Easton, pp. 105–106
  5. ^abcdRosen, Jeffrey (17 April 2005)."The Unregulated Offensive".The New York Times.Retrieved8 February2014.
  6. ^abcdeEaston, pp. 193, 198
  7. ^abEaston, p. 196
  8. ^abcEaston, Nina J. (20 April 1997)."Welcome to the Clint Bolick Revolution".The Los Angeles Times.Retrieved8 February2014.
  9. ^Easton, p. 197
  10. ^"Shoeshine Businessman Standing Tall in Victory".The New York Times.19 April 1989.Retrieved9 December2013.
  11. ^"Blackboard Jungle".American Lawyer.May 2000.
  12. ^Walsh, Mark (April 1, 1998)."Bolick v. Chanin".Education Week.RetrievedMay 19,2016.
  13. ^LaFraniere, Sharon(1 August 1991). "Hometown Wellwishers Take Bus To Breakfast With a Favorite Son; Supporters From Pin Point, Ga., Meet With Supreme Court Nominee".The Washington Post.
  14. ^Jane, Mayer (2016).Dark Money: the Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the rise of the radical right(First ed.). New York City.ISBN978-0385535601.OCLC935638944.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  15. ^Gillespie, Nick (2 March 2008)."Litigating for Liberty".Reason.Retrieved9 December2013.
  16. ^Levy, Collin (7 January 2012)."Litigating for Liberty".The Wall Street Journal.Retrieved9 December2013.(subscription required)
  17. ^Zelman v. Simmons-Harris,536 U.S. 639 (2002).
  18. ^Elsasser, Glen (26 September 2001)."High court to rule on vouchers for religious schools".Chicago Tribune.Retrieved22 December2013.
  19. ^Mauro, Tony (17 April 2006)."High Court Victors Feel Grapes of Wrath".Legal Times.Retrieved18 February2014.
  20. ^Granholm v. Heald,544 U.S. 460 (2005),Oyez
  21. ^Easton, p. 262
  22. ^Bolick, Clint (30 April 1993). "Clinton's Quota Queens".The Wall Street Journal.
  23. ^abEaston, p. 263
  24. ^Locin, Mitchell (4 June 1993)."Clinton Dumps Nominee".Chicago Tribune.Retrieved12 February2014.
  25. ^Apple, R.W. (5 June 1993)."THE GUINIER BATTLE: President Blames Himself for Furor Over Nominee".The New York Times.Retrieved12 February2014.
  26. ^Feldmann, Linda (7 June 1993)."Failure to Combat Labels Sunk Justice Nominee".The Christian Science Monitor.Retrieved12 February2014.
  27. ^"Don't Let Guinier Choice Be Scuttled".The Philadelphia Inquirer.1 June 1993. Archived fromthe originalon February 24, 2014.Retrieved12 February2014.
  28. ^Dillon, Sam (6 January 2006)."Florida Supreme Court Blocks School Vouchers".The New York Times.Retrieved30 April2015.
  29. ^Lacey, Marc (25 December 2011)."A Watchdog for Conservative Ideals".The New York Times.Retrieved8 February2014.
  30. ^"The Health Care Freedom Act: Questions & Answers"(PDF).The Goldwater Institute.RetrievedMay 20,2022.
  31. ^abHunnicutt, John (January 22, 2016)."The Verdict Should B Out On Bollick".Arizona Daily Independent.RetrievedMay 19,2016.
  32. ^"Health Care Freedom Act passes in Arizona, Oklahoma".Natural Healing News.February 25, 2012.RetrievedMay 19,2016.
  33. ^Haider-Markel, Donald P. (Apr 3, 2014).The Oxford Handbook of State and Local Government.OUP Oxford.
  34. ^"Federal Court Upholds" Save Our Secret Ballot "Amendment".Nevada News and Views.September 6, 2012.RetrievedMay 19,2016.
  35. ^Lacey, Marc (December 26, 2011)."A Watchdog for Conservative Ideals".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedNovember 30,2021.
  36. ^Favate, Sam (September 10, 2012)."Arizona Supreme Court Says Tattoos Are Free Speech".The Wall Street Journal.ISSN0099-9660.RetrievedNovember 30,2021.
  37. ^Colvin, Jill; Caldwell, Alicia A. (July 31, 2015). "Trump calls for mass deportations: Wants all 11 million people living in the country illegally out".Laredo Morning Times.Associated Press. pp. 1, 14A.
  38. ^Wockhit, Wochit (January 6, 2016)."Gov. Ducey appoints Clint Bolick to AZ Supreme Court".USA Today.
  39. ^https://reason /2018/11/07/clint-bolick-arizonas-libertarian-suprem/
  40. ^"Dissenting voices rewarded".The Washington Times.28 May 2006.Retrieved8 February2014.
  41. ^ab"Clint Bolick, Research Fellow".The Hoover Institution web site.Retrieved8 February2014.
  42. ^Pineda, Paulina (November 8, 2017)."Shawnna Bolick launches third run for state legislature".The Arizona Capitol Times.RetrievedJanuary 14,2019.
  43. ^Fischer, Howard (January 30, 2021)."Proposed law would allow Arizona Legislature to overturn presidential election results".Arizona Daily Star.RetrievedJanuary 30,2021.
  44. ^Oxford, Andrew (June 22, 2021)."Shawnna Bolick enters crowded race for Arizona secretary of state".The Arizona Republic.RetrievedJune 25,2021.
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Preceded by Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court
2016–present 		Incumbent
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