This editorial appeared in The Tri-City Herald.
A drumbeat for disciplinary action against Washington State Supreme Court Justice Richard Sanders has sounded, and some sanction may be warranted.
But let's keep things in perspective. A stern finger-wagging might be appropriate.
Sanders' crime – he's already admitted guilt – is behaving boorishly during a recent speech by Attorney General Michael Mukasey.
The lecture, delivered at a Federalist Society dinner in Washington, D.C., drew worldwide attention after Mukasey fainted at the podium.
Bad luck for Sanders. His outburst might not have received much attention if the attorney general hadn't left the banquet in an ambulance.
But that odd turn of events bestowed significance to reports from audience members that someone had shouted, "Tyrant! You are a tyrant!" midway through Mukasey's speech.
Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin, a one-time admirer of Sanders from her days at the Seattle Times, was the first to identify the judge as the heckler.
To read the complete editorial, visit The Tri-City Herald.