Money and judicial politics

Money and judicial politics

Charleston, W.Va., Daily Mail: West Virginia voters will fill two seats on the state Supreme Court this fall, and the eight candidates vying for nominations in the May 8 primary election had raised a total of $1.8 million for their campaigns as of March 30.

All of it, of course, came from one group or another with an interest in the makeup of the court and the rulings it produces. Virtually any system created, including gubernatorial appointment, would reflect such pressures.

Some think public financing of campaigns is the answer, and the Legislature was persuaded to make the state Supreme Court race a pilot program for that idea. It’s off to a weak start.

To fund the program, the Legislature agreed to withdraw $1 million from an account in the state audiitor’s office.

Longtime Supreme Court clerk Alan Loughry, a Republican, is the only candidate participating. The program offered him as much as $50,000 for the primary — it would have been more in a contested primary —and as much as $350,000 for the general election.

Legislators rejected other potential revenue sources — fees levied on lawyers and court filings, money from the treasurer’s unclaimed property trust fund, and a voluntary check-off on personal income tax returns.