Lawmaker Kicked Out of Office

(Phoenix) In accordance with the Arizona Clean Elections Act, Judge Mark Aceto of Maricopa County Superior Court has ordered Rep. David Burnell Smith, R-Carefree, to leave office for exceeding campaign spending limits during his election. Smith is the first U.S. lawmaker to be ordered from office by a means other than impeachment or recall. Smith will have two weeks to appeal the decision.

To me, this process of removing a lawmaker may be somewhat prone to abuse. Given the right circumstances of an activist judge coupled with some interpretive bookkeeping, it appears that any legislator could be booted.