Washington, D.C. - Nick Nyhart, Public Campaign’s executive director, made the following statement in response to today’s announcement by the American Bar Association’s Commission on Public Financing of Judicial Campaigns:

“Today, a leading group of American jurists, advocates and political figures took a bold step toward the future of campaign finance reform. Citing the growing evidence of money’s corrosive role in judicial elections, a blue-ribbon commission of the American Bar Association finished a two-year study by endorsing full public financing for high-level judicial races in the 39 states where judges have to run for office.

“Everything the ABA Commission reports is familiar to those of us working for campaign finance reform: the cost of campaigns is skyrocketing; in order to run, judges often raise money from donors with a special interest in cases before them; good candidates for the court who lack wealthy supporters or feel uncomfortable asking donors for large sums may be deterred from running; and the public believes that this dependence on campaign contributions affects judicial decision-making.

“The ABA Commission is absolutely right that the best solution to these worrisome problems is public financing for judicial elections. And we at Public Campaign were especially heartened to see the commission explicitly call for full public funding for candidates who agree to raise no private money, recognizing that partial funding would still leave significant conflicts of interest in place. Clean Elections is needed for judges as much as it is for legislators and executives.

“While the commission’s report only focuses on the judiciary, and is careful to state some differences with races for legislative or executive offices, we shouldn’t let those differences obscure the larger message: If we want public officials to be impartial and independent of all improper influences, we have to make it possible for them to run with an alternative, clean source of public funds. I call on the ABA’s House of Delegates and Board of Governors to embrace its commission’s courageous recommendation,” Nyhart concluded.

Public Campaign is a non-partisan, non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., devoted to comprehensive campaign finance reform. For more information, contact Rick Bielke, communications manager, at 202-293-0222.