Rep. Quang Nguyen of Prescott
Opinion: Rep. Quang Nguyen is a member of the Oath Keepers. Allowing him to a lead a key House committee is an insult to the rule of law.
By Diego Rodriguez opinion contributor || The Arizona Republic
Arizona cannot move beyond the partisan extremism of the past eight years if the Republican Party continues to place extremists into positions of power in our state.
Voters’ rejection of hardline extremists for Arizona’s U.S. Senate seat, governor, secretary of state and attorney general should have made this clear.
However, House Speaker-elect Ben Toma is clearly not listening.
His appointment of Rep. Quang Nguyen of Prescott, an admitted member of the antigovernment group the Oath Keepers, as chair of the House Judiciary Committee sends a dangerous message of support to the extremists in his party and is a direct insult to the rule of law.
Nguyen is a member of the Oath Keepers
I have been a licensed attorney in Arizona for more than 27 years. I have represented the people of Arizona as both a prosecutor and a state representative.
In the latter role, I have served on the House Judiciary Committee with both Rep. Toma and Rep. Nguyen and came to know them both well, which is why Rep. Toma’s decision is so concerning.
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The Judiciary Committee is responsible for vetting most, if not all of the proposed bills impacting the fair administration of justice in our state. This can include such important topics as new criminal statutes, victims’ rights, individual rights, criminal sentencing and policing, just to name a few.
All these areas are complex and very important to the everyday lives of every Arizona resident. Members of this committee must be able to assess the bills under consideration with an open mind, common sense and, above all, with respect for the rule of law.
Simply put, Nguyen’s membership in the Oath Keepers should disqualify him as a member of all House committees. However, placing him in charge of the Judiciary Committee is a grave insult to our democracy and the rule of law.
He is not violent, but the organization is
