What's it mean to be 'result oriented'?

I read recently that Lawrence VanDyke, candidate for the Montana Supreme Court, considers his opponent Justice Michael Wheat a “result oriented” activist on the court.

My own observation of Justice Wheat’s record is that it’s been quite moderate — much more so than mine, for example.

However, the more important issue for voters is what it means when one judicial candidate accuses another of being “result oriented.” My own belief is that anyone who doesn’t care about the result of his or her decisions isn’t fit to be a judge.

If results don’t matter, then why not just hire a bunch of Harvard programmed computers and submit disputes to them for resolution? It would certainly be a cleaner and more efficient process than having a court staffed by humans. In addition, we’d save money on salaries and health benefits.

It’s not that VanDyke would be less result-oriented; it’s just that he would advocate different results.

For example, being from Harvard, I’m sure VanDyke admires the current majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. He’s admitted that he agrees with their decision in Citizens United vs. FEC, which treated corporations as people and equated unlimited corporate expenditures on political campaigns with free speech.

There was, of course, no historical precedent suggesting that the authors of the U.S. Constitution intended either result. Citizens United is possibly the most result-oriented decision in recent history and the most mortal blow ever inflicted by the judiciary on democracy.

Yet, because VanDyke hopes to benefit from dark, unidentified out-of-state corporate money in this election, he’s fine with that result.

The point I’d like to make is that people shouldn’t be misled when the term “result oriented” is used as a criticism by right-wing candidates like VanDyke. Right-wing activists permeate the judiciary. They dominate the U.S. Supreme Court and are among the most result-oriented justices in our history. VanDyke wants to be one of them.

Terry N. Trieweiler, of Whitefish, is a retired Montana Supreme Court Justice.