‘Conservative’ judges are not necessarily ‘Christian’ when they side with corporations

Ever since I read Mary Varson Cromer’s op-ed in Sunday’s Herald-Leader I have been haunted by the following words: “In the case of a landslide threatening a home in Bell County the court did not find an immediate threat. The house is located below a slide – on a saturated hillside and if and when it fails the mountainside will slide into the house below.”

I cannot get past the horror of what might happen to the people living in that home. If they are lucky they will not be home when this occurs and all they will lose is property – their property – their home. If they are not lucky they may lose their lives. By that time Blackjewel will be long gone and the people who made money from the coal that they took from the land above may not even hear about or attend the funerals.

This disregard for our fellow Kentuckians made me ponder on one of the main goals of Mitch McConnell. He and his dark money supporters are focused on getting the courts across this country stacked with “conservative judges.”

Oddly enough this fact seems to energize much of the “base” of his party too, even though the average American will never benefit from the judges who get appointed to the various courts. But many of these voters seem to link the word Conservative with Christian. The two words are often used together to describe “Conservative Christian” voters and may filter over to describe the judges. Maybe it is the alliteration, or maybe it is a nefarious plot by the elite to appeal to a “base” that believes their religious rights are under attack.

However, the Bell County case above is a specific and frightening example of how a conservative court might rule. I have no idea about the religious or even the political persuasion of the judge in this case. I can only make my opinion on the merits of the case at hand that a conservative opinion is often one that sides for the corporation instead of the people. This does not sound like a “Jesus Judge.”

But perhaps a broader view of the case as presented by Ms. Cromer is needed to inform our readers’ view: “On Sept. 10 and 11, a bankruptcy court held a hearing on the status of Blackjewel’s coal mining permits and environmental violations…Since it entered bankruptcy, Blackjewel has spent little on environmental compliance and has racked up thousands of violations. Last week, Kentucky’s Energy and Environment Cabinet asked the court to order Blackjewel to comply with the state’s environmental laws. The court refused.

“It found that Blackjewel could be ordered to address environmental regulations if they posed an immediate threat.” The house in Bell County was not considered immediate.

For those readers who, like me, are of the opinion that Jesus would, in fact be the best judge, I offer His words that are compellingly prescient for this particular decision: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widow’s houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation.”

And for those who are often considered the “Christian base” Christ himself offers an even more dire warning: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” (Matthew 23:14,15)

Just a loving reminder from a fellow believer that NOT all conservatives can claim to be Christian.

Nina McCoy is a retired biology teacher from Inez.