Steve Crampton
Non-Partisan | Mississippi
Candidate Profile
Verified Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Steve Crampton
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2016
Election
General
Race
Supreme Court Justice, District 3, Place 1
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, J.D., 1984
St. John's College, Santa Fe, NM, B.A., 1980
WORK & MILITARY
none
AFFILIATIONS
American Family Association, General Counsel, AFA Center for Law & Policy
Chief Counsel, Liberty Counsel, General Counsel, VP for Legal Affairs
New College Franklin, Chairman of the Board, Media Gratiae
Board Member, MS Personhood, Board Member
Excelsior Classical Community, Board Member, Boy Scouts of America
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
none
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
none
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (6)
Tim Wildmon
David Barton
Mat Staver
Kelly Shackelford
Chris McDaniel
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Election of judges by the people for a definite term of office is the best way to select judges.
Agree
Which U.S. Supreme Court justice best reflects your judicial philosophy?
Scalia
Which of the following U.S. presidents best reflects your political philosophy?
Reagan
The founders established pure democracy in the Constitution because they believed that it is the best form of government to ensure the safety and equitable treatment of all citizens.
Strongly Disagree
Free enterprise and the right to private property turn mankind's natural self-interest into the most productive economic system there is.
Strongly Agree
George Washington's comment that “Religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society” is still true today.
Strongly Agree
Islamic law (Sharia) does not pose a threat to the United States and its Constitution.
Strongly Disagree
Based on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, please arrange the following entities, starting with the highest source of authority, and continue the list in descending order of authority, skipping any that do not apply: Academia, Congress, Constitution, God, Industry, Media, Professional Sports, Supreme Court, Voters.
God Voters Constitution Congress Supreme Court
What in the nature of mankind caused America’s Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers in the Constitution?
The recognition of the truth of Scripture regarding the sinful nature of man. In particular, Jer. 17:9 -- "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?", and Isa. 33:22 -- "For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver,the Lord is our King; He will save us." (This last verse recognizing the three distinct branches of government.)
What is the proper use of legislative history in interpreting statutory law?
In my view, legislative history should play no part in interpreting a statute, unless that statute is ambiguous, such that its plain meaning and intent cannot be determined on its face. It should be resorted to rarely, as a last resort. I tend to agree with Justice Scalia (borrowing from Judge Harold Levanthal), that the use of legislative history is often "the equivalent of entering a crowded cocktail party and looking over the heads of the guests for one's friends." One is often tempted to find what he wants in the legislative history, and to ignore whatever he finds disagreeable. In addition, legislative history rarely shares a uniform intent, but instead most often reflects a diversity of views regarding the intent of the law.
What specific text in the Declaration of Independence provides the critical basis for individual rights and the form of government guaranteed in the United States Constitution?
I believe the seminal passage to be that which sets forth the "self-evident truths" that "all men are CREATED", that they are created equal, and that they are "endowed BY THEIR CREATOR with certain UNALIENABLE rights", among which are "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Further, the purpose of government is "to secure these rights," not to violate them. In other words, "We the people" delegate to the government certain limits powers for the purpose of securing and protecting our unalienable rights, and accordingly government should be limited and should always strive to respect and uphold our individual rights.
In which partisan primary election did you most recently vote (e.g. Democratic, Republican, etc.)?
Republican
The U.S. Constitution and my state constitution should be interpreted as living documents, rather than use a strict constructionist or originalist philosophy.
Strongly Disagree
In light of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges allowing members of the same sex to marry, which justice’s opinion in that case most closely approximates your understanding of marriage?
Justice Alito's.*
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Baptist. I believe the Bible to be the inspired, inerrant Word of God, and Jesus Christ to be the Son of God and Savior of the world.I believe the education of my children should be undertaken from a distinctly Christian perspective, and therefore we have chosen to home school our children. My values flow from that great Judeo-Christian stream that has given rise to the greatest prosperity and progress the world has ever known in what we call Christendom. Nevertheless, I do not believe in forcing my beliefs or values on anyone, and respect the diversity of views and religions that are now commonly held among our citizens. I am also firmly committed to the rule of law, applying the law as written, not to twist it to meet some private agenda. Equal justice for all means all -- no exceptions and no special privileges for any.
Considering all issues (social, economic, national security, etc.), which of these best describes you?
Very Conservative
Please defend your answer to the previous question by referencing your publicly available track record.
My articles are available on the Internet, having been published in the AFA Journal, renewamerica.com,christianworldviewnetwork.com, among other places. In addition, many of my radio and television interviews are available. Furthermore, my numerous cases involving the defense of religious liberty are well documented. In fact, I co-authored a brief in the Obergefell marriage cases in which my views on traditional marriage are set forth. In short, I have a history of well over 20 years of standing up for Christian values in the face of staunch opposition. My record speaks for itself.
E-mail address and phone number for voters to reach you.
info@cramptonforcourt.com, phone 662-401-8668.
Additional comment from candidate:
*I would note that your Question 14 is inadequate, in my view, because the four dissenters in Obergefell did not concentrate on what marriage really is so much as on the utter lack of legal authority for the majority to undertake to redefine marriage. It is therefore difficult to select an opinion that best reflects my view of marriage. I would also add that Justice Scalia's dissent does not afford a great deal of sanctity to the institution of marriage as a matter of Constitutional law, and in some ways raises disturbing implications itself. Of course, he joined Chief Justice Roberts' dissent as well as those of Justice Thomas and Justice Alito. Justice Scalia also wrote that his purpose in penning a separate opinion was only to "call attention to" the Court's "threat to American democracy." But Justice Scalia wrote that it was "of no special importance" to him "what the law says about marriage." By contrast, I think marriage is of enormous importance to all of society.
