Faircloth Addresses Women's Republican Club
by Stephen Largen - News Star (excerpt)

Louisiana Supreme Court candidate Jimmy Faircloth hit the stump Monday, telling a gathering of the Ouachita Parish Women's Republican Club that he is the best candidate to replace the retired Chet Traylor because he has been a loyal Republican even when it has been inconvenient. And, he said he has the requisite skills for a job that is more about "academic rigor" than legal rulings, hearings and juries. The latter description was an obvious attempt at contrast with his opponent, 4th District Judge Marcus Clark.

Clark has highlighted his experience as a judge and in law enforcement as qualities that make him more qualified for the Supreme Court than Faircloth. "This is an academic job," Faircloth said. "It doesn't involve witnesses, it doesn't involve juries, it doesn't involve hearings. There's nothing like that. It's all about reading and preparing and writing. It requires a great deal of academic rigor, and I think I've conducted myself my whole life to be able to do that." Faircloth said of the 109 justices who have served on the Supreme Court, 41 had no judicial experience.

Faircloth criticized what he termed a "push poll" — automated telephone calls that attempt to influence or alter the view of respondents under the guise of conducting a poll — that he said is being deployed in the Monroe area. Faircloth said he did not know who was directly responsible for the calls, but he said they are designed to hurt him and aide Clark.