Fourth Judicial District Judge Kevin Burke of Minneapolis, Minn., the newly installed president of the American Judges Association, says courts in the United States and Canada are “facing enormous challenges.” Read more on Gavel Grab...
"Judges must be perceived as beyond price. When litigants go to court they ... do not want the umpire calling balls and strikes before the game has begun."
Ann Walsh Bradley, Wisconsin Supreme Court justice
Ann Walsh Bradley, Wisconsin Supreme Court justice
Election News - Minnesota
New and ugly political attack ads were launched in battleground states including Michigan, Alabama and Alaska as judicial campaigns approached the finish line. See details in Gavel Grab, where you can also see the latest from Iowa, Illinois and Nevada.
With November's elections only a few weeks away, more states are joining the trend toward costly judicial elections. For news and ad videos, see our special web page, Judicial Elections 2010. Or see Gavel Grab for more details.
OCT. 8, 2010—A Democratic Illinois Supreme Court justice, faced with a potentially costly reelection challenge, has spent more on TV ads than any other candidate or group in this year’s state high-court elections, according to data compiled by a reform group, while a Chamber of Commerce group in Ohio last week launched an ad campaign supporting two Republican candidates.
The Justice at Stake Campaign and a partner, the Brennan Center for Justice, have unveiled a new website featuring data on national TV spending, candidate fundraising and key political players in 2010 state high-court elections, which may be unprecedented in their character. State Supreme Court retention (up-or-down) elections in four...
For American corporations testing their new freedom to spend money directly on campaigns, the backlash against donations by Target Corp. and Best Buy Co. sends a stark warning: Proceed at your own risk. Target has borne the brunt of public outrage over six-figure contributions that both retailers made to a...
A split three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this morning issued an opinion sweeping away a couple of the state’s remaining restrictions on judicial campaigns. The federal appellate court struck down rules barring judicial candidates from endorsing candidates for political offices and from personally soliciting contributions...
Advocates who want to change the way judges are selected in Minnesota are laying the groundwork for their next try, following derailment of a bill in the legislature for a proposed ballot question. Former Gov. Al Quie told the Hennepin County Bar Association’s annual meeting “it’s too important an issue”...
A federal judge has sided with the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce in clarifying the rights of corporations to play an active role in state elections. The state’s restrictions on on independent political expenditures by corporations are unconstitutional, U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson ruled, according to an Associated Press article. The...
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Gov. Tim Pawlenty deepened his imprint on the Minnesota Supreme Court on Thursday, promoting Lorie Gildea to lead the court and naming a 35-year-old law professor who once clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to fill her seat. The Republican governor said the elevation...
In a ruling with broad implications for political advertising, a federal judge on Friday declared unconstitutional Minnesota's restrictions on spending by corporations to support or oppose state and local political candidates. The decision means that businesses can spend unlimited amounts of money on political ads. It was a victory for...
After appearing dead only last month, a plan to scrap contested judicial elections in favor of having Minnesotans vote to keep or fire sitting judges is breathing new life. Rep. Steve Simon, DFL-St. Louis Park, withdrew his bill when it was headed for almost certain defeat in a House committee....
