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A Ramona attorney has joined a small number of lawyers who have seeking to show that and isn't eligible to hold office. Gary Kreep is waiting to hear by mid-June whether the court will hear his case. Meanwhile, the constitutional lawyer is running in the for a seat on the bench of San Diego Superior Court, which will appear on Santee ballots. His opponent is Deputy District Attorney Garland Peed.
Kreep is executive director of a conservative non-profit legal action organization called the United States Justice Foundation (USJF). The nationwide group has funded several Obama eligibility cases around the country. Two have gone as far as the U.S. Supreme Court. The court has refused to hear the first of those cases.
Two of the USJF Obama eligibility cases have been filed on behalf of presidential and vice-presidential candidates in the 2008 election who are members of a conservative Christian political party, the American Independent Party. The candidates allege they were "injured" when Obama beat them in the election. Kreep filed the most recent case after the upheld a U. S. District Court decision not to hear the case because of lack of jurisdiction.
Kreep said he is running for Superior Court judge because he has concerns about a number of decisions made in local court cases. He believes that too many deputy district attorneys are becoming judges and too many in law enforcement are getting involved in judicial politics.
Despite the opposition to his Obama birth certificate case, he feels he has a good chance of winning a Superior Court seat.
"I'm excited," Kreep told Patch.
He counts state Senator Joel Anderson among his endorsers. The senator's staff confirmed the endorsement for Patch on Wednesday night. According to Kreep's campaign website, other supporters include: former state assemblyman Steve Baldwin; former state senator and assemblyman Ray Haynes; Escondido mayor Sam Abed; and two North County branches of the Tea Party, among others.
Kreep isn't perturbed that the San Diego County Bar Association gave his candidacy their lowest rating on the basis that he has allowed his religious views to get in the way. Kreep supported Prop. 8—the state ban on gay marriage—and is pro-life.
He counters with, "What about all the other people of faith? Does that mean they can't be judges?
"There are people who love me for what I'm doing and there are people who hate me for what I'm doing," he said.
Kreep said he quit the San Diego County Bar Association and American Bar Association when they began taking political positions, because he sees it as a conflict of interest.
He said he is running for judge as a public service.
"People's rights are being violated in our courts and no one cares," he said. "I care."
He has put $35,000 of his own money into the campaign, he said. His name has gone out on slate mailers and he has a phone bank of people making calls. This is his first time running for office.
Kreep has practiced law for 36 years, he said. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from University of San Diego and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from University of California, San Diego.
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