Washblog

An editorial in today's New York Times, Judicial Politics Run Amok, starts out with the two paragraphs quoted below, showing what a bad reputation we're getting here nationwide. Thanks for this are due to the Building Industry Association of Washington State and other special interests, which poured millions of dollars into their so-far mostly-foiled attempt to buy our courts.

Contests for important state judgeships around the country are getting nastier, more partisan and tons more expensive. Monied interests seeking to influence court decisions are spending lavishly to boost preferred candidates, much as they do in campaigns for regular political office. Today's round of judicial elections in Washington State points to the seriousness of the problem and its threat to judicial integrity, independence and impartiality.

With three seats on the Washington State Supreme Court up for grabs, a record amount of money -- some $2 million -- has poured in to underwrite the contested races. Some of the television and radio attack ads against the incumbent chief justice, Gerry Alexander, were so unfair or misleading they would have seemed out of line even if the contests were for local alderman instead of a lofty position on the state's highest court. The inevitable result: reinforced ties between would-be judges and their partisan supporters, and diminished public respect and confidence in judicial decision making no matter which candidates win today.