Public financing is contagious! Michigan's gone and caught it from Wisconsin and now a group in Michigan's legislature is pushing for full public financing of state Supreme Court races even as Wisconsin battles to pass a similar bill through their Assembly.

Something about a judicial branch uncontaminated by the need to raise campaign cash from trial lawyers and other interested parties just appeals to people which means the judicial public financing program pioneered by North Carolina is catching on all around the country. Wisconsin still faces a hefty battle to get their bill through the Assembly but the press has been all over the issue and largely supportive, so no wonder Michigan has picked up on the potential for a system like this -- from Legal Newsline:

Supporters of the Michigan measure say the change is needed because financial donations to Justices' election campaigns are now undermining the public's trust in the court.

It's not a particularly positive article about the idea, but any criticism offered to the public financing proposal isn't accompanied by an alternative to fix the problem of increasingly expensive, partisan, and damaging judicial elections. Public financing has been battle-tested and its an idea that's looking attractive to more and more state legislatures looking to keep their judges above reproach.