Litigation

Merit Updates From Pennsylvania

By Charlie Hall

Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, which has done an outstanding job of raising public awareness about special-interest spending, reports two new major stories this week at www.judgesonmerit.org.

In a Thursday post, PMC reported that all four Democratic candidates for governor said publicly they support the appointment of judges, instead of elections. The report added that one of two Republican candidates support merit selection of judges. As a blog by Shira Goodman noted:

“PMC is heartened that Merit Selection is a topic the gubernatorial candidates are talking about, and we are hopeful that we will continue to have a champion of judicial selection reform in the Governor?s mansion. ”

In a Wednesday post, the “Choose Judges on Merit” blog reported a new Philadelphia Inquirer editorial cited a recent study by the American Judicature Society, another Justice at Stake partner, showing that a high percentage of litigants and lawyers in civil cases heard by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court made campaign contributions to at least one justice. The editorial-called “High Court Justice for Sale?” - added:

The nonpartisan American Judicature Society (AJS) reports that nearly two out of three civil cases decided by the Supreme Court in the last two years involved a litigant, lawyer, or law firm who had given money to one or more of the justices? campaigns. That doesn?t even count giving by business, labor, and political groups.

Long before this study, most Pennsylvanians told pollsters that partisan judicial elections ? awash in unrestricted campaign donations ? risked creating the impression that justice is for sale. Last year, a two-way race for a seat on the court generated $4.7 million in political donations.

The study by the AJS ?confirms Pennsylvanians? concerns about the problematic role of money in judicial elections,? according to the statewide reform group Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts.

To learn more about Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, visit www.pmconline.org. To learn more about Justice at Stake partners, see the JAS web site’s partners page.

Full post as published by The Gavel on April 02, 2010 (boomark / email).