Litigation

Director of West Virginia Group Advocates Nonpartisan Elections

By Lissette Villarruel

With the increased negativity surrounding the Caperton v. Massey case, the leader of a West Virginia group opposing ?lawsuit abuse? has joined the call to make the state?s judicial elections nonpartisan.

In an opinion column in The West Virginia Record, Steve Cohen, executive director of West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, proclaimed his desire that ?lawmakers will embrace Justice [Sandra Day] O’Connor?s prescription for strong, independent, impartial courts which apply the law through a lens of complete neutrality, free of partisanship.?

In support of this sentiment, Cohen notes that state Governor Joe Manchin recently declared that nonpartisan elections were ??a step in the right direction.?? Interestingly, Cohen suggests that Manchin became supportive of this judicial reform after a conversation with Justice O?Connor, who had previously expressed her beliefs that nonpartisan judicial elections wield a greater sense of integrity and justice in a letter to the West Virginia Legislature.

The article also cited a recent Harris survey conducted by the American Bar Association which found that 43% preferred nonpartisan elections. Furthermore, it reported that studies have indicated that legal systems that result from non-partisan elections enjoy greater public trust.

However, an official departure from partisanship does not guarantee completely nonpartisan elections. In recent years, for instance, judicial elections in Wisconsin have become more expensive and nasty, even though they are nonpartisan.

A Wisconsin State Journal article found that although the state Code of Judicial (more…)

Full post as published by The Gavel on January 13, 2009 (boomark / email).