Justice at Stake
From Judgepedia
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The Justice at Stake Campaign, based in Washington D.C., was officially launched on February 14, 2002. The group found its impetus in what they described as the threat to American citizens' "right to fair and impartial justice."[1]
Mission Statement
"Our mission is to educate the public and work for reforms to keep politics and special interests out of the courtroom—so judges can do their job protecting the Constitution, individual rights and the rule of law."[2]
Advocacy
Justice at Stake advocates the advancement of merit selection in the American judiciary, among a number of other possible reforms[3]. According to an article from the American Justice Partnership, at a 2007 panel hosted by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the subject of judicial impartiality, elections, and the public perception of the judiciary, JAS executive director Bert Brandenburg advocated alongside former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Norman Fletcher "for the end of judicial elections in Georgia and elsewhere, citing 'dirty' campaign television ads and the 'potential undue influence' of political contributions and independent expenditures from business and medical groups."[4]
According to an interview with Bert Brandenburg,"Justice at Stake does not promote any particular system of judicial selection... because we have always been careful not to recommend any particular system of selecting judges. There is a diversity of opinion among our partners and board of directors on [selection systems]. We do note that many reforms are available to address interest group and partisan pressure on the courts, including merit selection, but of course that is not the same as “advocating” a particular reform."[5]
Press
Response to the Wisconsin Supreme Court Race (2008)
After the highly contested and publicized Wisconsin Supreme Court race between Louis Butler and Michael Gableman, Justice at Stake (along with the Brennan Center for Justice) "called for comprehensive campaign reforms to Wisconsin’s system of judicial elections, including enactment of a full public funding program and a strong electioneering communications law that would bring greater accountability to third party groups running television advertising."[6]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Race (2006): Spending Caps
At the time of the Wisconsin Supreme Court race between Annette K. Ziegler and Linda Clifford, Justice at Stake spokesman Jesse Rutledge suggested that, due to the increasingly financially robust nature of judicial elections, that the state impose spending caps on judicial races. At the time, the individual donation limit for high-court races in Wisconsin was $10,000, a figure that Rutledge found to be "on the high side."[7]
Judicial Campaign Spending: Susceptible to Interest Groups
In recent years, the group says that "A perfect storm of hardball TV ads, millions in campaign contributions and bare-knuckled special-interest politics is descending on a growing number of supreme court campaigns."[8]
Funding
According to their website, JAS is currently funded by grants from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Joyce Foundation, the Moriah Fund and the Open Society Institute.[9]
Board of Directors
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Campaign Partners[10]
See Also
External Links
- Justice at Stake Praises New Federal Judicial Misconduct Rules, Outlines Further Steps
- 2002 State Supreme Court Elections and Opponents
- Television Advertising in State Supreme Court Elections
References
- ↑ Justice at Stake Campaign Launches
- ↑ Justice at Stake Campaign Launches
- ↑ About the Campaign
- ↑ Judicial Elections & Impartiality: An Interview with Shannon L. Goessling, Esq.
- ↑ Judgepedia Interview of Bert Brandenburg of 5/23/08
- ↑ Special Interest Groups Overwhelm Candidates in Wisconsin Court Campaign
- ↑ Justice in the Balance
- ↑ Justice in the Balance
- ↑ JAS: About the Campaign
- ↑ Partner List
