Litigation

Parade Cites JAS, Places Spotlight on Recusal

By Lissette Villarruel

Parade magazine has cited Justice at Stake in an article on Caperton v. Massey, the case on special interest spending and the courts that was argued last week in the U.S. Supreme Court. In an online poll, more than 90 percent of participating Parade readers say judges should not handle cases involving contributors.

The article and poll results are notable, because Parade is about as mainstream a publication as exists. An insert section in Sunday newspapers across the country, Parade has a circulation of 33 million and  is ?the most widely read magazine in America,? according to its website.

In its recent intelligence report, called “Can Judges Be Bought?,” Parade noted that spending on state Supreme Court elections this decade has more than doubled  spending in the entire 1990s. It also said jurists and legal scholars are “locked in debate” on whether judges should step aside from cases involving contributors.

One group of state supreme court justices argued in a legal brief that the ?strong presumption of integrity? of elected judges should override apparent conflicts of interest. But others say that the current system undermines the public?s faith in the integrity of the court.

Noting the soaring spending on Supreme Court elections, the article adds:

Advocates of judicial reform are worried that the influx of special-interest money is getting in the way of citizens? rights to a fair trial. ?If you were in court and found out that your opponent was one of the biggest contributors to the judge, would you be happy?? asks Charles W. Hall of Justice at Stake, a nonpartisan group that advocates for judicial reforms. ?I think almost all Americans would say, ?I want a different judge.??

In a previous Parade article, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O?Connor brought attention to the ?politically motivated interest groups [that] are attempting to interfere with justice.?

To find out more about Caperton v. Massey, a widely publicized case involving a coal executive who spent $3 million to help elect a West Virginia Supreme Court justice while appealing a $50 million lawsuit judgment against his company, visit the Justice at Stake Caperton online resource site.

Full post as published by The Gavel on March 09, 2009 (boomark / email).