Ralph Nader was booted off the ballot in New Mexico Friday by a State Judge.

This, in and of itself, would not be news. However, it turns out that the Judge, Wendy York, is a contributor to the Kerry campaign, having donated $1000.00.

As the Albuquerque Journal noted:

[The New Mexico] Code of Judicial conduct ...says in part, "A judge is disqualified and shall recuse himself or herself in a proceeding in which the judge's impartiality might reasonably be questioned, including but not limited to instances where: (1) the judge has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party or a party's lawyer ..."

York now faces complaints to the New Mexico Commission on Judicial Conduct from Republicans. Libertarians, the Green Party and even one Democrat, the article notes.

Given that, as the article says, York made a sizeable contribution to Kerry's campaign, it seems like the Judge would have a hard time claiming that she didn't have a "personal bias" towards Kerry and against Nader (and Bush for that matter).

On the other hand, as a Kerry supporter, maybe the Judge can chalk it up to some sort of "flip flop" or "nuance."