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Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Law - Cost of State Judicial Races Stirs Reformers
A lengthy story Sunday from the Kansas City InfoZine reports:
In the wake of last year's costliest and possibly nastiest elections ever for state Supreme Court justices, a few states are drawing up changes to curb threats to the impartiality and fairness of their legal systems.At the state level, it isn't grueling Senate confirmation hearings at the center of judicial battles, as is the prospect in store for U.S. Supreme Court nominee John Roberts. It's soaring campaign spending and bare-knuckled special interest politics.
At least one state -- West Virginia -- is considering scrapping judicial elections altogether after state voters were bombarded by more than 4,000 TV attack ads in 2004 during the most expensive high court race in state history.
West Virginia is one of 22 states that elect their high court justices in head-to-head races. * * *
Two Illinois state Supreme Court candidates raised $9.3 million combined in 2004, spending more than candidates in 18 U.S. Senate races. Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) now is urging the state General Assembly to pass campaign finance caps.
In Minnesota, judicial races may soon see a flood of money. A federal appeals court on Aug. 2 struck down longstanding restrictions on judicial candidates from aligning with political parties and seeking donations. * * *
The Minnesota ruling likely will garner attention from the 13 other states that hold nonpartisan elections to choose judges. And Minnesota likely will become like eight states that now have partisan balloting -- Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia.
In 23 states, members of the high court are appointed by the governor with the help of a committee, and in 16 of those states [including Indiana] justices face uncontested "retention elections" at the end of their terms.
In Maine, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Virginia and South Carolina, either the governor or the legislature appoint justices.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on August 10, 2005 03:24 PM
Posted to General Law Related | Indiana Courts