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News http://maxwood.upwardinteractive.com/index.php en nate@upwardinteractive.com Copyright 2010 2010-02-25T14:45:04+00:00 Attorney General Candidate Supports Bill to Deport Illegal Convicts http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/attorney_general_candidate_supports_bill_to_deport_illegal_convicts/ http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/attorney_general_candidate_supports_bill_to_deport_illegal_convicts/#When:14:45:04Z Max Wood, Republican candidate for Georgia Attorney General, said he will do everything in his power to support a pending state Senate bill that, if passed, will send illegal immigrants back to their home countries once they are eligible for parole.   Wood, who for eight years served as the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, is the only candidate in the Attorney General?��Ǩ�Ѣs race who has hands-on experience helping federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to solve this country?��Ǩ�Ѣs problem with illegal immigration. As Georgia?��Ǩ�Ѣs Attorney General, he will continue that work.   ?��Ǩ?�I believed in that mission as U.S. Attorney for eight years and I will continue to support the federal authority?��Ǩ�Ѣs efforts as Attorney General,?��Ǩ�� Wood said.   State Sen. John Douglas, R-Social Circle, has sponsored a bill (SB 136) that would facilitate deportation for illegal immigrants as soon as they become eligible for parole. This would put Georgia in line with an existing federal program. Already, Gwinnett County is participating in the program and has deported 900 inmates.   The bill would require the Georgia Department of Corrections and the state Board of Pardons and Parole to establish a process where local, state and federal authorities work together to deport convicted criminals who are not legally in the United States.   As U.S. Attorney in Macon, Wood worked daily in coordination efforts between local, state and federal authorities. He said, as Attorney General, he will implement any programs necessary to assist in the training of local and state law enforcement officers to implement the bill.   This year?��Ǩ�Ѣs race for Georgia attorney general is truly historic. For the first time in more than 40 years, the voters of Georgia will pick their attorney general ?��Ǩ�� without a seated incumbent and without a governor?��Ǩ�Ѣs appointment.   Max Wood, through presidential appointment, served as the U. S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia beginning in 2001. He served as the chief prosecutor and law enforcement officer for the United States in the 70 county Middle District of Georgia. 2010-02-25T14:45:04+00:00 U.S. Rep. Mac Collins endorses Max Wood for Attorney General http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/u.s._rep._mac_collins_endorses_max_wood_for_attorney_general/ http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/u.s._rep._mac_collins_endorses_max_wood_for_attorney_general/#When:01:16:52Z MACON ?��Ǩ�� Former U.S. Rep. Mac Collins ?��Ǩ�� a beloved political veteran from Middle Georgia ?��Ǩ�� has endorsed Max Wood to become the state?��Ǩ�Ѣs newest attorney general. Collins, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2005, said he respected Wood?��Ǩ�Ѣs work during the eight years Wood served as the U.S. Attorney for Middle Georgia. Collins described Wood as professional and hard working. He said he was happy to offer the endorsement. ?��Ǩ?�I like Max, he?��Ǩ�Ѣs a fine man,?��Ǩ�� Collins said Tuesday. ?��Ǩ?�I feel very confident he will make a fine attorney general, which I consider to be the top law enforcement officer in Georgia.?��Ǩ�� Wood said he was honored and privileged to receive the endorsement of someone as esteemed as Collins ?��Ǩ�� a small businessman, a good Christian conservative and a man who has served Middle Georgia well while living the American dream. ?��Ǩ?�Mac is a solid, true conservative who shares the same cultural values that I share and that I raise my children to adhere to,?��Ǩ�� Wood said. In Congress, Collins represented much of Middle and Western Georgia including Monroe, Bibb, Jones, Henry, Butts, Lamar, Upson, Baldwin, Fayette and Troup counties. Collins also served as the chair of the Butts County Commission and was a member of the Georgia State Senate. He is a native of Jackson. This year?��Ǩ�Ѣs race for Georgia attorney general is truly historic. For the first time in more than 40 years, the voters of Georgia will pick their attorney general ?��Ǩ�� without a seated incumbent and without a governor?��Ǩ�Ѣs appointment. Max Wood, through presidential appointment, served as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia beginning in 2001. He served as the Chief Prosecutor and law enforcement officer for the United States in the 70 county Middle District of Georgia. Max Wood?��Ǩ�Ѣs professional record, which best qualifies him to serve as Georgia?��Ǩ�Ѣs next Attorney General, includes: Justice Department Attach?ɬ�, Baghdad, Iraq (2005 - 2006) Appointed by President George W. Bush as United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. (2001 - 2009) Personally prosecuted cult leader Dwight ?��Ǩ?�Malachi?��Ǩ�� York in one of the largest child abuse cases in Georgia history. General Practitioner, Macon, Georgia (1997 - 2001) Special emphasis on criminal and civil litigation and bankruptcy. Assistant District Attorney, Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit (1994 - 1997) Prosecuted felonies and misdemeanors throughout an eight county judicial circuit. (Ultimately appointed Chief Assistant DA) Staff Attorney, Prosecuting Attorneys?��Ǩ�Ѣ Council of Georgia (1992 - 1994) Assisted District Attorney?��Ǩ�Ѣs offices in the prosecution and asset seizure of major illegal drug operations throughout middle Georgia. U.S. Air Force, Judge Advocate General?��Ǩ�Ѣs Dept. (1987 - 1992) Served as prosecutor or defense counsel in over 50 courts-martial and administrative boards. Advised commanders on a variety of legal issues including but not limited to, military justice, the law of armed conflict, international law, environmental law, labor law, and tort litigation. 26 years of active and reserve military experience. Currently serving as a Colonel in the Georgia Air National Guard. Wood graduated from LaGrange College in 1981 and from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1985. 2010-02-17T01:16:52+00:00 Max Wood begins to explain himself http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/max_wood_begins_to_explain_himself/ http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/max_wood_begins_to_explain_himself/#When:19:20:21Z Ran into Max Wood and his wife this afternoon ?��Ǩ�� making the rounds at the state Capitol. Wood is the Republican candidate for attorney general, who until last year was the U.S. attorney down in Macon. He?��Ǩ�Ѣs facing Sam Olens, the Cobb County commission chairman in the GOP primary. So far, the GOP side of the race for attorney general shows none of the spark of the Democratic race. No doubt that will change. Though well known in middle Georgia, Wood is an unfamiliar character in metro Atlanta, despite the fact that he grew up here. (His dad, Jim Wood, ran the Jonesboro newspaper.) Max Wood said he?��Ǩ�Ѣll try to fix his name-recognition problem with an autobiography that will come out late next month, focusing on his experiences in Iraq. Woods served in 2005 and 2006 in Iraq as an attach?ɬ� (that?��Ǩ�Ѣs French for lawyer) with the U.S. Department of Justice. He did another 30-days in the country as a colonel in the Air Force Reserve. 2010-02-09T19:20:21+00:00 Max Wood shares his Iraq experience http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/speaker_shares_his_iraq_experience/ http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/speaker_shares_his_iraq_experience/#When:08:37:21Z Max Wood was so close to Saddam Hussein, he could have reached out and touched ?��Ǩ�� or hit ?��Ǩ�� him as he joked about the missed opportunity. He shared his story Thursday over lunch with the Rotary Club of Forsyth County. It was during Saddam?��Ǩ�Ѣs trial when Wood saw the late Iraqi leader. Wood was there for nearly a year as only the second U.S. attorney sent to the war zone by the Department of Justice. He was involved in the formation of a major crimes task force, using several American government agencies to teach an elite group of about 400 Iraqi investigators modern techniques. ?��Ǩ?�It really was a life-changing experience,?��Ǩ�� he said. ?��Ǩ?�I feel honored to have served.?��Ǩ�� The trial was somewhat less impressive, he said, calling his day in court one of ?��Ǩ?�the most bizarre things I?��Ǩ�Ѣve ever seen called a trial in my life.?��Ǩ�� ?��Ǩ?�Saddam was yelling at the judges. The judges were yelling at Saddam,?��Ǩ�� he said. ?��Ǩ?�Then after a couple of hours, Saddam started praising the judges and the judges started praising Saddam. It was crazy. ?��Ǩ?�He?��Ǩ�Ѣs the meanest looking person I?��Ǩ�Ѣve ever seen, much meaner looking than the pictures in the magazines and on television.?��Ǩ�� Wood, an Air Force veteran, talked about his opinions on mistakes made during the early years of the U.S. presence in Iraq. He also discussed the future of the country and what his experience meant to him. One thing Wood didn?��Ǩ�Ѣt mention was that he?��Ǩ�Ѣs also a candidate for Georgia?��Ǩ�Ѣs attorney general. It was also a surprise to Rotarian Chuck Welch, who said he didn?��Ǩ�Ѣt know Wood was running for office, but ?��Ǩ?�certainly seems to be level-headed and he?��Ǩ�Ѣd make a great candidate.?��Ǩ�� ?��Ǩ?�He?��Ǩ�Ѣs an impressive guy, that?��Ǩ�Ѣs for sure,?��Ǩ�� Welch said. ?��Ǩ?�It?��Ǩ�Ѣs nice to get some insight into what?��Ǩ�Ѣs gong on in Iraq from people who were front and center for the whole episode. ?��Ǩ?�The whole Saddam Hussein trial, I thought that was obviously one of those marquee events in your life. And he was as close to it as anybody I?��Ǩ�Ѣll ever have the privilege to hear speak ... it was interesting to hear how that whole process played out.?��Ǩ�� After Saddam was executed in December 2006, Wood said, the Sunni Muslim population of which Saddam had been a member became more cooperative. But it wasn?��Ǩ�Ѣt always that way. Sunnis were ?��Ǩ?�very reluctant to get involved in re-establishing the nation of Iraq and that?��Ǩ�Ѣs because they were simply scared to death he would come back,?��Ǩ�� Wood said. ?��Ǩ?�They couldn?��Ǩ�Ѣt grasp why we were taking three years to try this guy when they would have taken about three days to try him and it would have been over with,?��Ǩ�� he said. ?��Ǩ?�They viewed the way we approached this as a sign of weakness.?��Ǩ�� Wood said American lives were lost because the trial took so long. But perhaps the most frustrating part of Wood?��Ǩ�Ѣs experience in Iraq was that it was ?��Ǩ?�very clear to me that we wanted democracy in Iraq more than they wanted it.?��Ǩ�� In 2007, Wood returned to Iraq, this time with the Department of Defense. He described the scene as much improved and the military morale ?��Ǩ?�was sky high.?��Ǩ�� Wood fielded several audience questions, including whether there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. He also was asked what lessons from Iraq could be applied to efforts in Afghanistan. Despite more than 30 years of Saddam?��Ǩ�Ѣs rule, Wood said, ?��Ǩ?�Iraq has the potential to make it ... as a democracy.?��Ǩ�� ?��Ǩ?�It has great resources,?��Ǩ�� he said. ?��Ǩ?�There are places in that country that people would visit if they didn?��Ǩ�Ѣt have to worry about getting blown up. ?��Ǩ?�Of all the places in the Middle East, Iraq has that potential.?��Ǩ�� 2010-02-08T08:37:21+00:00 Wood sees AG role as constitutional watchdog http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/wood_sees_ag_role_as_constitutional_watchdog/ http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/wood_sees_ag_role_as_constitutional_watchdog/#When:23:46:17Z MOULTRIE ?��Ǩ�� As a candidate for Georgia?��Ǩ�Ѣs attorney general, former federal prosecutor Max Wood thinks his experience gives him an edge. Wood, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, was U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia for eight years, a portion of which was spent working with the Justice Department in Iraq. The Republican is seeking his first elected office for the seat being vacated by Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker, who is running for governor. ?��Ǩ?�I?��Ǩ�Ѣm the only candidate who has been a state prosecutor, a military prosecutor and federal prosecutor,?��Ǩ�� he said. ?��Ǩ?�I think it (attorney general) has amazing similarities to what I did for eight years. I don?��Ǩ�Ѣt think there?��Ǩ�Ѣs any job more similar to being attorney general than being a U.S. attorney.?��Ǩ�� Wood said he was encouraged by former colleagues who made the leap from his former position in other states to successful political bids, including New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie, who was sworn in this week. As attorney general, Wood said he would like the office to be a constitutional watchdog. He also would like to see the attorney general?��Ǩ�Ѣs office become a storehouse of expertise that would allow the state to weigh in on federal issues that are playing out in courts around the country but also affect Georgia. ?��Ǩ?�If I was attorney general now I would be joining the 13 or 14 attorney generals in states challenging the unconstitutionality of health care (legislation),?��Ǩ�� he said. ?��Ǩ?�What we?��Ǩ�Ѣre having with that legislation, for the first time in history you have Congress forcing people to buy something. I think that?��Ǩ�Ѣs unconstitutional.?��Ǩ�� The biggest change Wood said he envisions in the office is in how the state handles appeals cases. Georgia still uses the same system of 30 years ago in which attorneys who argued a case still handle the appeals, he said, a way of business that is ?��Ǩ?�old fashioned.?��Ǩ�� ?��Ǩ?�Nowadays you need to go the way of 30 states and develop an appellate office,?��Ǩ�� he said. ?��Ǩ?�Over 30 states have gone in this direction because the federal government is ignoring the 10th Amendment.?��Ǩ�� The 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reserves to individuals or states those powers not granted to the federal government or prohibited to the states. Wood said that Southern states?��Ǩ�Ѣ unsuccessful attempt to fight civil rights advances in the 1960s and 1970s led to a weakening of the amendment. On the more common role of the office, Wood said that the office should be more aggressive in addressing information-age crimes that federal prosecutors do not get involved in except in large cases and for which local prosecutors often do not have the resources. Those crimes include credit card and online fraud, identification theft, child pornography and the use of computers in child molestation. ?��Ǩ?�We?��Ǩ�Ѣre kind of losing ground on those nationwide,?��Ǩ�� he said. ?��Ǩ?�I think the attorney general can fill the gap in some of that.?��Ǩ�� Wood said he also would like to explore the possibility of opening satellite offices ?��Ǩ?�if it?��Ǩ�Ѣs cost-effective.?��Ǩ�� Other candidates who have announced their intentions to seek the attorney general?��Ǩ�Ѣs position are former Cobb County Commission Chairman Sam Olens, who also is a Republican, and Democrats Ken Hodges, former Dougherty County district attorney, and state Rep. Bob Teilhet, D-Smyrna. 2010-01-22T23:46:17+00:00 Wood Campaign Gains Momentum http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/wood_campaign_gains_momentum/ http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/wood_campaign_gains_momentum/#When:16:57:33Z Max Wood, candidate for Attorney General, has been pleased with the amount of support he and his campaign have generated so far. ?��Ǩ?�I am not an established politician, unlike my opponent. Many people are meeting me for the first time on the campaign trail.  They seem to appreciate the strong qualifications I would bring to the office of Attorney General.  The people of Georgia are hungry for real leadership and I believe I am the candidate best suited for the office of Attorney General,?��Ǩ�� Wood said. Wood announced his candidacy in August of 2009 prior to going on a six week tour of duty in Washington D.C. at the National Guard Bureau. ?��Ǩ?�I am extremely proud of my military background.  I am the only military veteran running for Attorney General,?��Ǩ�� he added.  Wood still serves as a Colonel in the Air National Guard. His current contributors include former United States Attorneys, Sheriffs and other law enforcement officials, four retired two star Generals and a former major league baseball player.  He has also been able to gather support from numerous Democrats as well, even though he is a conservative Republican. Wood plans to conduct himself as GA Attorney General much like he did as United States Attorney, adhering to the strict rule of representing all people, and not just one party. ?��Ǩ?�I am a Republican through and through, but if I am elected Attorney General, I also have a responsibility to be non political when dealing with matters of the state,?��Ǩ�� he said.  He points to his stint as United States Attorney as an example of how he will conduct himself in office. ?��Ǩ?�I prosecuted Democrats and Republicans while United States Attorney.  It was never a consideration to go easy on someone because they were a political insider or connected to one particular political party,?��Ǩ�� he stated. Wood served as United States Attorney in the Middle District of Georgia from 2001 to 2009.  He was the longest serving United States Attorney in the area since the L.B.J. Administration. Macon, GA - For Immediate Release Contact - Max Wood/478-957-5630 2010-01-08T16:57:33+00:00 Max Wood to Challenge Obama Health Care Reform if Elected Attorney General http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/max_wood_will_challenge_obama_healthcare_reform_if_elected_with_the_health_/ http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/max_wood_will_challenge_obama_healthcare_reform_if_elected_with_the_health_/#When:16:34:35Z Former United State Attorney Max Wood, a Republican candidate for Georgia Attorney General, pledged today that he will use every bit of authority available as Attorney General to challenge the constitutionality of the so-called Patients Protection and Affordable Care Act, also referred to as the Healthcare Reform Act, currently making its way through Congress. Former United State Attorney Max Wood, a Republican candidate for Georgia Attorney General, pledged today that he will use every bit of authority available as Attorney General to challenge the constitutionality of the so-called Patients Protection and Affordable Care Act, also referred to as the Healthcare Reform Act, currently making its way through Congress. ?��Ǩ?�This is a blatant unconstitutional action by the Congress of the United States.  Should the legislation become the law of the land I will use every means necessary as Attorney General for the State of Georgia and as an individual to challenge its constitutionality in court,?��Ǩ�� Wood said. ?��Ǩ?�There is more than one area of constitutional concern with the legislation.?��Ǩ�� Wood added. ?��Ǩ?�The most profound constitutional objection is that it is a classic overreach by Congress and an illegal expansion of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution of the United State of America, Wood stated. ?��Ǩ?�It is an excessive expansion of federal powers in that Section 1501 of the proposed act requires individuals to purchase health insurance.  Regulating commerce does not include mandating commerce,?��Ǩ�� Wood said. ?��Ǩ?�There is absolutely no precedent in our history to the federal government requiring individuals to purchase a service or a product,?��Ǩ�� Wood said. ?��Ǩ?�There are also constitutional questions as to a lack of consistency and uniformity in the imposition of excise taxes.  The pending legislation treats 17 states differently when it comes to excise taxes,?��Ǩ�� Wood added. These concerns were raised in a recent publication of the conservative Heritage Foundation, and on December 11, 2009 were discussed on the Senate Floor by US Senator Orin Hatch of Utah. ?��Ǩ?�I share the concerns of Senator Hatch and the Heritage Foundation ,?��Ǩ�� Wood said.  ?��Ǩ?�We will put our best lawyers on this and file suit the first full day I am in office,?��Ǩ�� In addition to the Commerce Clause and federalism issues that the legislation raises, Wood states he has Fifth Amendment concerns as articulated by University of Chicago Law School professor Richard Epstein. ?��Ǩ?�We should all be opposed to an unconstitutional taking of private property by the federal government.  Last week Professor Epstein published a thorough and brilliant legal analysis of how the legislation would allow such an unconstitutional taking of properties of health insurance companies?��Ǩ�� Wood said. ?��Ǩ?�This is the most monumental piece of social legislation in the history of our country.  It threatens the individual liberties of all Americans and is the largest power grab by our federal government in our 234 year history.  The people of Georgia should know how its next Attorney General is going to fight this overreach by the federal government.?��Ǩ�� 2009-12-23T16:34:35+00:00 Top Three Initiatives for AG if Max Wood is Elected http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/top_three_initiatives_for_ag_if_max_wood_is_elected/ http://woodforattorneygeneral.com/index.php/site/top_three_initiatives_for_ag_if_max_wood_is_elected/#When:15:44:27Z Attorney General Candidate Max Wood identifies top three initiatives if elected to office Platform includes proposed Solicitor General, Satellite Offices, and Statewide Grand Jury (Macon, GA ?��Ǩ�� Nov. 23, 2009)  While celebrating his 50th birthday among family and friends this past Sunday, Max Wood ?��Ǩ�� the former United States Attorney and a Republican candidate for state Attorney General ?��Ǩ�� announced his top three initiatives that indicate where he would place his priorities if elected to the highest law enforcement office in Georgia. Wood says these initiatives represent the beginning of a well conceived campaign platform of critical, high priority issues in law enforcement and public safety to protect the integrity of the judicial system and the quality of life for Georgians.  These initial points of emphasis of his campaign have been garnered from his more than two decades of experience as a lead prosecutor, chief litigator, and private legal counselor, while working on a variety of cases on the local, state, and federal level, he adds.  In addition, Wood says these issues also reflect the feedback he has received from law enforcement officials he has worked with and respected over the past 25 years, as well as the concerns of citizens he has met while campaigning the past few months across the state. ?��Ǩ?�My experience as a prosecutor and public servant opened my eyes to some of the areas where I think we can improve law enforcement and public safety in Georgia, while enhancing state resources or utilizing them more efficiently,?��Ǩ�� says Wood.  ?��Ǩ?�But receiving feedback from fellow citizens all across our state has both reinforced my initial ideas as well as provided me with these most important perspectives of how such policies might positively impact the everyday lives of Georgia families.?��Ǩ�� Wood?��Ǩ�Ѣs first priority if elected as state Attorney General would be the pursuit of a Solicitor General Initiative.  While over 30 other U.S. states have established a Solicitor General position within their respective state governments, the Georgia Department of Law does not have such a post currently.  Modeled on the role such an officer provides within the United States Department of Justice, where Wood served the previous eight years as U.S. Attorney for Georgia?��Ǩ�Ѣs Middle District, a Solicitor General is designated by the Attorney General to make all final decisions on appellate matters.  At present, the Georgia Department of Law bases decisions on appellate issues by a variety of people involved with a particular case, with attention focused solely on the case at hand.  A designated Solicitor General and his/her staff within the state Attorney General?��Ǩ�Ѣs office would instead bring a nationwide constitutional law perspective to appellate decisions in each and every case. Wood notes that in recent decades, activist judges ?��Ǩ�� particularly those in the federal courts ?��Ǩ�� have eviscerated significant States?��Ǩ�Ѣ rights preserved by the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.  Federalism itself is being threatened by an ever encroaching federal government, adds Wood. In order to counter this trend, individual state Attorney General offices across the country have been developing this Solicitor General approach to appellate advocacy closely patterned after the U.S. Department of Justice model.  ?��Ǩ?�A Solicitor General and his/her staff would be dedicated to bringing the best in constitutional scholarship and appellate advocacy to every case appealed by the State of Georgia,?��Ǩ�� notes Wood. In addition, this approach to Appellate advocacy through the creation of a Solicitor General?��Ǩ�Ѣs position allows Georgia to have input on Constitutional issues that impact Georgia?��Ǩ�Ѣs rights in federal courts all across the United States, through the filing of ?��Ǩ?�Friend of the Court?��Ǩ�� briefs that allow the state of Georgia to have input on Constitutional Questions affecting states being litigated in other states. The second point of emphasis in Wood?��Ǩ�Ѣs state Attorney General campaign platform would be to study the feasibility of opening Satellite Offices in other cities in Georgia.  Georgia currently spends significant dollars in hiring private law firms to represent Georgia?��Ǩ�Ѣs interests in courts outside of metro Atlanta, notes Wood.  ?��Ǩ?�As Attorney General, I would initiate a study of the cost effectiveness of this system versus establishing and staffing Satellite Offices in cities outside of Metro Atlanta,?��Ǩ�� he says. Finally, Wood?��Ǩ�Ѣs third initiative to pursue as Attorney General would be to support legislation that would establish a Statewide Grand Jury in Georgia. ?��Ǩ?�Georgia needs a statewide Grand Jury,?��Ǩ�� says Wood.  ?��Ǩ?�There are several areas of our state where the administration of justice is hampered by local dynamics.?��Ǩ�� In some instances, Wood says appropriate cases can be referred to the federal system.  However, he notes that many cases cannot, and Georgia needs to provide its citizens a third avenue for potential prosecution in these cases.  ?��Ǩ?�The inability to effectively administer justice in some areas of our state has a negative impact on economic prosperity to those areas,?��Ǩ�� he adds.  ?��Ǩ?�This in effect impedes the economic progress of the state as a whole.?��Ǩ��   2009-11-23T15:44:27+00:00