[EL] is it seemly for Justice Breyer to be pictured in his son's campaign literature?

[Richard Winger]

I live in a California legislative district in which Justice Stephen Breyer's son is one of the two candidates on the November ballot.  The son, Michael Breyer, has sent out at least 4 direct mail pieces.  Two of them picture him with his father.  The caption is "Michael Breyer with dad, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, and mom, Joanna Breyer."

The other two pieces are attack pieces on Michael Breyer's opponent.  The opponent is San Francisco's Assessor, and the Breyer attack pieces claim the Assessor is corrupt.

Both candidates are on the ballot as Democrats.

It makes me queasy seeing Justice Breyer on campaign literature, even if the candidate is his son.  In a sense, U.S. Supreme Court Justices are the U.S. equivalent of British royalty.  The queen doesn't even vote, and it would be unthinkable for any member of the royal family to appear in on campaign literature for a candidate for House of Commons or a local partisan election office.  U.S. Supreme Court Justices, like the Queen, are formally part of the national government yet are expected to be non-partisan.

Richard Winger

415-922-9779

PO Box 470296, San Francisco Ca 94147
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