Former Wisconsin judges seek rules on campaign donations
More than 50 retired jurists on Wednesday asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to require judges and justices to step aside when hearing cases involving those who helped bankroll their elections.
The proposal from the 54 former judges comes seven years after the high court adopted rules that said campaign spending, on its own, isn't enough to force a judge off a case.
“As money in elections becomes more predominant, citizens rightfully ask whether justice is for sale,” the former judges wrote in their petition to the high court. “The appearance of partiality that large campaign donations cause strikes at the heart of the judicial function, which depends on the public's respect for its judgments.”
They're calling for the court to draw a "bright line" on conflicts of interest, proposing that judges and justices leave cases when they involve political donors whose contributions hit certain thresholds.
Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2017/01/11/former-judges-seek-rules-donations/96430238/
