Litigation

Tort Reform Group Urges Public Financing in Illinois

By Charlie Hall

The Illinois Civil Justice League, which donated nearly $1.2 million in the most expensive state Supreme court election ever, has unveiled a plan to use public financing for state appellate judges.

Referring to a 2004 election in which Republican Lloyd Karmeier, right, and Democratic opponent Gordon Maag raised a combined $9.4 million, the group said in a statement:

Even the winner of that election, Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier, described the almost $10 million spent in the contest as ?obscene.?

And you know what? We agree.

As one of the ?special interest groups? that helped raise a lot of money for that race, and for other races, we agree that the system of selecting judges in Illinois could ? and should ? be changed.

The group, which donated $1,191,453 to Karmeier, proposed an elaborate system in which bipartisan commissions in the state’s five judicial districts would nominate equal  numbers of candidates from both parties, who in turn would be eligible for public financing.

According to an article in the Madison St. Clair Record, Cyndi Canary, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform and a Justice at Stake board member, called the proposal “very interesting” and said her organization, which advocates numerous campaign finance reforms, would review it.

Full post as published by The Gavel on April 22, 2009 (boomark / email).