Written by Rebecca Olson
Supreme Court Upholds Judicial Candidate Fundraising Ban
The ruling allows states to ban judicial candidates who run for the bench from personally asking for campaign contributions. Writing for the majority (5-4 decision), Chief Justice Roberts held, “Judges are not politicians, even when they come to the bench by way of the ballot. A state may assure its people that judges will apply the law without fear or favor — and without having personally asked anyone for money.” The ruling surprised many experts, especially because the Chief Justice joined the four more liberal members of the Court in this decision, but it is far from clear as to whether this will have any future effect on other campaign finance cases dealing with contribution limits. The Washington Post article on the case is here and the full opinion is here.
