Judicial Fundraiser Draws Scrutiny

[Panich52]

Judicial Fundraiser Draws Scrutiny

A fundraiser http://www.brennancenter.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=78090&qid=3610564 for judicial candidates hosted by the spouses of several sitting New York state judges is drawing criticism, reports Gary Craig of Democrat & Chronicle. http://www.brennancenter.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=78091&qid=3610564 The fundraiser, which is being held in support of four Republican candidates for the state supreme court, includes co-hosts who are the spouses of other sitting Republican judges. Judicial ethics rules bar judges from hosting such fundraisers. “‘It may be ethical [for judicial spouses to solicit money] but it's unseemly,’ said local lawyer James Hinman, a Democrat who has run unsuccessfully for Monroe County Family Court. The invitation implies that ‘the sitting judiciary expects your support of these four candidates,’ he said.” Craig argues that this fundraiser also points to broader concerns about judicial elections, namely that they “continue to grow costlier. And the mushrooming costs of those elections are sparking worries that judges — supposedly separate from the political whims and winds of the day — could lose independence to ensure they will not lose political races.”

From the Brennan Center

[PumpkinAle]

1. Money talks

We all know the judiciary is not as impartial as they should be; this will now give them courage to openly rub our faces in the "values" of the day.