Rigging judicial elections

A bill has been introduced into the Washington State Senate which would require public campaign sponsorship for State Supreme Court judge election. The State Supreme Court primarily hears reviews of government actions and legislation.

In the interest of "fairness" the Democrats in the Senate have determined they ought to take over funding control of Supreme Court elections. There is a “Judicial Integrity Surcharge” fee. Its supposed to net the state treasury over $590,000 in fees.

They say the concern is the we the People are too easily corrupted by campaign spending. We might vote for someone who puts on a better campaign.

In short the legislature plans to control who does reviews of the legislature's action, by control of the public vote -- Democracy be damned.

Its a clear power grab by the legislature. If this bill becomes law, the legislature will control the purse strings of judge campaigns, effectively controlling who gets to run. They hope to expand their power by reducing unfriendly reviews of their actions.

If you think carefully about your ballot, let your state Senator know you are watching their vote. Look up your legislator here.

The bill is 5010 SB.