Christine Bremmer Muggli of the Wisconsin Association for Justice (a trial lawyers group) writes in favor of the Impartial Justice bill currently sitting in the state Assembly that would let candidates for the state Supreme Court run for office using public financing (similar to programs in North Carolina and New Mexico) and help control the spending, and partisanship, of judicial elections.

The Impartial Justice bill has passed in the Senate, and the Governor supports the proposal, but it's being held up in committee in the Assembly and hasn't yet made it to a floor vote. Bremer Muggli certainly hopes to see it get that vote soon:

Last year all seven Wisconsin Supreme Court justices signed a letter supporting "the concept of realistic, meaningful public financing for Supreme Court elections."


The justices went on to say, "The risk inherent in any non-publicly funded judicial election for this Court is that the public may inaccurately perceive a justice as beholden to individuals or groups that contribute to his or her campaign. Judges must not only be fair, neutral, impartial and non-partisan but also should be so perceived by the public."


Our courts need to be fair, impartial and independent, and the people of Wisconsin should have full faith in the integrity of the Supreme Court. As citizens of Wisconsin, we all need to take this issue seriously, and join an ever-growing, bipartisan group supporting the Impartial Justice Bill.