Photo credit: University of Colorado

Before the newest Colorado Supreme Court nomination gets out of hand, we thought it would be a good idea to take a look at University of Colorado Law Professor Melissa Hart. Hart would undoubtedly be the most partisan selection Coloradans have seen on the court as Hart has spent the last decade as a partisan activist and candidate. In addition to running her own campaign for CU Regent, she’s also run several initiative campaigns, taking thousands from teachers unions and other arms of the Democratic Party. In fact, it’s puzzling that she could even make it through the nominating commission.

Her contributions show her inherent Democratic leanings.  She’s given a over $8,600 to Democratic candidates and causes. These include the Democratic Party and, even, the Blueflower Fund, to which the casual donor just does not donate.  In case you, PeakNation, are not familiar with the BlueFlower Fund, it raises money to give to “Democratic, pro-choice women candidates”. The candidates she’s supported are not exactly middle of the road either – they’re the Democratic insider’s choice. Here are some of the candidates she’s contributed to:

• Rep. Pabon – $400
• Rep. Kagan – $400
• Sen. Carroll – $100
• Gov. Hickenlooper – $1,225
• Joe Neguse – $1,100

She has not given a single penny to any GOP candidates or causes.  Her activism would certainly leave Coloradans with little confidence on her decisions on the bench, especially since she’ll be voting on reapportionment and redistricting in a couple years, not to mention key education decisions and any upcoming title board challenges.

But, perhaps even worse than her partisanship, however, is her clear bias against business.  Her CV is riddled with publications demonizing employers in favor of (sometimes) frivolous employment discrimination cases.  Here are a few of her publications and speeches:

• Implicit Bias in Employment Litigation
• The State-by-State Assault on Equal Opportunity
• Will Employment Discrimination Class Actions Survive?
• Chained to Office Politics: Liberty Loses When Companies Herd Workers into ‘Captive Meetings (Wait, is she advocating for fewer waste-of-time meetings? This actually sounds good. Unless we’re suing for our bosses holding us hostage in meetings as a form of discrimination….)
• Separation of Church and State in Contested Political Times
• From FlashMobs to Facebook: When Should Government Limit Social Media? (The only correct answer to this is never.)
• Unconscious Bias at Work and in Court
• Pay Disparity and Structural Inequalities

This lady makes Sen. Morgan Carroll, no friend to business for sure, look like an advocate for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  This nomination should be nipped in the bud.  Hart sounds like a brilliant lawyer, but can Colorado afford an activist Supreme Court judge that seems to have an inherent bias against companies as the state economy recovers and grows?  Or, better, can Colorado families afford her?