Litigation

Who?s Bankrolling the MI Supreme Court Campaigns?

By Peter Hardin

In rough-and-tumble campaigns for two seats on the Michigan Supreme Court, trial lawyers and unions are in the forefront of giving financial support to two Democrats, and business groups are among top backers of the Republican candidates.

That’s according to an analysis of donations through Oct. 17 compiled by Michigan Campaign Finance Network, a Justice at Stake partner, and an Associated Press article that draws on the MCFN data.

The Democrats are Justice Alton Davis and Judge Denise Langford Morris. Their campaigns received a total of $50,000 from the Michigan Education Association, and Justice Davis’ campaign got $34,000 from the political action committee of the Michigan Association for Justice.

The Republicans are Justice Robert Young Jr. and Judge Mary Beth Kelly. Justice Young’s campaign reported getting
$140,000 from groups for bankers, hospitals, Realtors, farmers and doctors. Judge Kelly’s campaign received at least $34,000 from prominent Republicans belonging to the DeVos family.

According to data compiled by TNS Media Intelligence/CMAG, the Michigan Republican Party has spent more than $1 million on TV ads supporting the two GOP candidates. In addition, the Republican nominees pulled in a total of more than $121,000 from the Michigan Republican Party.

Meanwhile MCFN highlighted in a press release activity of the RGA Michigan political action committee, a creation of the Republican Governors Association. After the Michigan GOP, the RGA Michigan PAC’s second largest beneficiary this year has been the campaign committee of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, which received $3 million. RGA Michigan PAC?s biggest named donor during the latest  reporting period was Bob Perry, owner of Houston-based Perry Homes.

Rich Robinson of MCFN said about the RGA Michigan PAC, ?Michigan has become a sandbox for the Ubermensch of Republican political donors.” He added, “I wonder if they know their money landed here.” The Michigan Chamber of Commerce has given $5.4 million to the Republican Governors Association, according to MCFN; the Chamber also has supported the Republican state Supreme Court candidates with $20,000 in giving.

To learn more about the Michigan Supreme Court contests, check out Justice at Stake’s Michigan news page and its Judicial Elections 2010 page.

In other contested judicial elections, Alabama Justice Mike Bolin took in  $582,380 for his reelection campaign by mid-September, with four political action committees accounting for 86 percent of that sum, the Birmingham Press-Register reported.

An editorial in the Morganton News Herald, reflecting on the current nonpartisan, contested judicial elections in that state, including a 13-candidate contest for an appeals seat, urged consideration of a merit-based selection system for judges:

“Merit selection helps assure voters that the men and women presiding over our courts have the qualifications and experience to provide fair, well-informed justice. Voters still have the right to remove judges who, for whatever reasons, do not live up to our expectations. And it?s far easier for voters to make that decision about one judge than to evaluate the merits of 13.”

Full post as published by The Gavel on October 26, 2010 (boomark / email).