Litigation

W. Va. Blog: ?Do Campaign Dollars Sway Judges??

By Peter Hardin

A commentary by Adam Skaggs of the Brennan Center for Justice, entitled “Judging for Dollars,” has drawn attention in a state that recently adopted a public financing plan for state Supreme Court elections.

In a blog post from the Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette, writer Andrew Clevenger seizes on Skaggs’ commentary to point out that West Virginia is hardly alone in dealing with the troubling issues that arise from high-spending judicial election campaigns.  West Virginia was the birthplace of the landmark Caperton v. Massey decision of the U.S. Supreme Court about special-interest money in judicial campaigns.

Clevenger quotes from Skaggs’ account of a state Supreme Court race in Illinois where candidates raised a record $9.4 million. Trial lawyers heavily supported one candidate there. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent heavily on another candidate. The winner “got a boost” from State Farm Insurance, and as a justice, he cast the deciding vote in a decision saving State Farm millions.

The Charleston Gazette blog post is headlined, “Do campaign dollars sway judges?” The Brennan Center is a partner of Justice at Stake. You can learn more about West Virginia’s public financing plan from Gavel Grab.

Full post as published by The Gavel on April 07, 2010 (boomark / email).