Litigation

WI Budget Proposal Hits Public Financing Act

By Peter Hardin

UPDATE: Justice at Stake has just issued a statement urging lawmakers to restore funding for Wisconsin’s public financing system in state appellate court elections. Click here to read statement.

 A sweeping budget proposal by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker would reduce public financing for state Supreme Court contests, and the provision is drawing fire.

“Walker’s budget all but kills public financing for Supreme Court races,” declared a headline in The Capital Times. Walker’s budget has a provision “to dry up the funding source” for public funding of high court candidates, according to the article.

Incumbent Justice David Prosser and challenge JoAnne Kloppenburg, who are competing for election to a seat on the state Supreme Court, both are accepting public financing under the new law.

The provision was assailed by Mike McCabe, director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a Justice at Stake partner.

“The practical effect of Walker’s proposal would be to bring back Supreme Court auctions like those seen in 2007 and 2008,” McCabe said in a statement on the group’s web site.

“Candidates would have to go back to begging wealthy special interests for big donations in order to compete for a seat on the state’s highest court.”

Common Cause in Wisconsin said the budget “seeks to eviscerate” the campaign finance reform law, which has been working well in the first election since its enactment:

“Thus far, candidate and outside spending has been significantly below previous elections, and the tone of the campaign has been much more respectful and civil — with the candidates spending more time talking to voters all over the state face to face, rather than having their campaigns raise huge sums of cash to pour into negative ads on TV.”

To learn background about the Wisconsin law, check out Gavel Grab.

Full post as published by The Gavel on March 03, 2011 (boomark / email).