Citing displeasure at recent state supreme court decisions on abortion drugs, removing a Ten Commandments monument from capitol grounds, and other rulings the Oklahoma House Elections and Ethics Committee approved on a 4-3 vote a plan to remove all sitting members of the state’s appellate courts and change the way they are selected. (h/t Gavel Grab)
OKLAHOMA: ANGRY AT RECENT STATE SUPREME COURT DECISIONS, PLAN APPROVED BY HOUSE CMTE WOULD VACATE ALL APPELLATE COURTS, END MERIT/COMMISSION SELECTION
4 reactions ShareJAS Gives ‘Follow the Money’ Tips for Judicial Elections
Peter Hardin February 15th, 2016
As you know, Justice at Stake tracks spending in judicial elections around the country. We’re currently tracking spending in the Wisconsin Supreme Court primary and inArkansas, and we broke the news about the highest spending race in state supreme court history last fall. Semi-annually, we also release the New Politics of Judicial Elections report, which looks at all spending in the past political cycle. As the amount of money pumped into judicial elections at all levels has increased, it’s more important than ever to keep an eye on the money trail.
F. James Robinson Jr.: History repeating in attempt to stack Kansas court
Like their Topeka counterparts, the federal justices were the target of their chief executive – President Franklin Roosevelt.
Analysis: AR Court race latest test of 'not for sale' argument
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An outside group's six-figure television ad buy against a Supreme Court chief justice hopeful is the latest sign of just how much races for the state's high court are mirroring traditional political campaigns in Arkansas. It's also the latest chapter in campaigns trying to use outside attacks as a rallying cry for their supporters.
In other words, get ready to hear a lot of talk about how the state's vote is "not for sale."
Read moreMoberly: A New Day for Judicial Selection in Marion County, Indiana
The verdict will still be out on how we will select judges in Marion County when this article is printed, but for the first time in decades, we know we will have an entirely new system of selection before May 2017. Hopefully it will be in this legislative session but, if not, in the next.
Read moreEditorial: Partisan Politics on Judgeships Hurts Average Citizens
It’s not the president that his Senate foes are hurting when they stall confirmation of federal judicial nominees, says an editorial in New Jersey’s The Record newspaper, it’s the American people that are harmed:
Read moreDebate Revived About Switch to Merit Selection in Arkansas
A renewed debate about replacing the election of top Arkansas judges with a merit-based appointive process seems to be gearing up.
An Associated Press article over the weekend was headlined, “Merit Selection of Arkansas Justices Gets New Look.” It said that receptive statements by Gov. Asa Hutchinson (see Gavel Grab), a recent investigative series by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and controversy over outside spending in the state Supreme Court election two years ago could make merit selection a hot topic for the state legislature.
Read moreTV Ad Buy Reported in Wisconsin Court Election
Hefty outside spending appears to be taking off in this year’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election. A conservative group called Wisconsin Alliance for Reform may spend as much as $415,000 on a TV ad buy to begin this week to help elect incumbent Justice Rebecca Bradley to a full term, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported.
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