Litigation

Primary for WA Supreme Court Heats Up

By Peter Hardin

A primary contest for the Washington state Supreme Court has heated up, with a liberal group depicting Justice Jim Johnson (photo at left) as in the pocket of business interests.

The Impartial Justice group pumped $42,000 this week into mailers featuring a small cutout picture of the jurist tucked inside the pocket of a business suit, according to a Seattle Times article. A web video ad supported with $10,000 ad from the group echoed the attack mailer and advocated a vote against “special deals for special interests.”

In an Aug. 17 primary, Justice Johnson is facing a challenge from lawyer Stan Rumbaugh (photo at right); the primary will decide the election’s outcome.

A left-of-center group named FairPAC has funded Impartial Justice. In the past month, FairPAC has raised more than $180,000, with more than half given to it by labor groups.

A spokeswoman for FairPAC and Impartial Justice accused Justice Johnson of a clear “pattern of ruling in favor of the interests who have funded his campaigns.” But Justice Johnson, in a recent debate, blasted the allegation as a “bum rap.”

Justice Johnson has raised $85,000 so far this year, compared to $539,000 when he first was elected in 2004. A 2006 law imposed contribution limits for  judicial candidates’ campaigns. Rumbaugh’s campaign has raised about $63,000.

When Justice Johnson was an attorney in private practice, he represented the powerful Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW), which later donated heavily to his campaigns.

Full post as published by The Gavel on August 03, 2010 (boomark / email).