Litigation

CA Assembly Approves Recusal Reform

By Peter Hardin

California’s Assembly has voted to help keep courts impartial by requiring disqualification of judges when they get significant campaign donations from parties who appear in their court.

Under legislation recently passed by the Assembly, judges would be disqualified if they received more than $1,500 in campaign money over the past six years from any party involved in a case, according to an Associated Press article.

The legislation requires disclosure of smaller campaign contributions too. The measure will next be considered in the California Senate.

Judicial disqualification, called recusal, has been a hot topic of national debate.  Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Caperton v. Massey that large campaign expenditures could create an unacceptable potential for bias.

You can learn more about recusal reform proposals from the Justice at Stake issues page about them, and you can also learn more from Gavel Grab.

Full post as published by The Gavel on May 13, 2010 (boomark / email).