Litigation

Some Judicial Candidates Refuse Lawyer Donations

By Peter Hardin

Candidates for local or appeals judgeships in two states–Illinois and Arkansas–say they are limiting or foregoing campaign contributions from lawyers, citing concerns on ethical grounds.

Gavel Grab is in the business of watching for news from around the country about protecting fair and impartial courts, but it can’t tell if this development is the start of a political trend–or just a blip on the radar screen.

In Illinois, two Kane County judicial candidates, Republican David Akemann and Democrat John Dalton, pledged in news releases to forego political donations from attorneys, according to an article in the Chicago Daily Herald. Dalton said:

“The citizens of Kane County have the right to a fair trial and an impartial judge. Accepting contributions from attorneys would bring my independence and integrity into question.”

Akemann described turning down lawyer donations as “what the citizens want and deserve,” which involves “avoiding the appearance of any impropriety.”

In Arkansas, Judge Karen Baker said in a campaign statement she would not accept contributions from lawyers who appear before her, the Arkansas Times reported.  She sits on the Arkansas Court of Appeals and is running for the state Supreme Court. “I simply don’t feel it would be proper to accept contributions form private attorneys who appear before my court,” she said. Her campaign urged its opponent, Circuit Judge Tim Fox, to follow suit.

The author of the blog post about Judge Baker saw the pledge in a political perspective. Not that many lawyers appear before an appeals court judge during a year, while many more appear before a trial judge in Arkansas’ largest county; “Baker is attempting to make a strength out of expected financial weakness,” the blogger wrote.

The Chicago Daily Herald interviewed people on both sides of the issue. One judicial candidate in Kane County, Thomas Patrick Rice, told the newspaper that “you have to take the money.” He added, “Until we have merit selection, you have to have a campaign that costs money. Attorneys know who they prefer, and they know who’s honest and good.” You can learn more about money in competitive elections from the Justice at Stake resource page on the topic.

Full post as published by The Gavel on December 09, 2009 (boomark / email).