The Wisconsin Senate has started committee hearings on a bill for public financing of state Supreme Court judicial races. The bill aims to improve impartiality in the court system and its supporters include the Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers.  Judicial public financing systems have emerged in recent years as a good bridge between those in support of full public financing for elections, and those opposed since most can agree on the value of an independent judiciary, and see the immediate conflict of interest in attorneys giving campaign contributions to judges. With North Carolina, we should soon have the opportunity to see whether a strong judicial public financing program is able to lever sufficient legislative support to make the program available to other offices.