The Knoxville paper, remarking on a Blount Co. judicial election, says "...once elected, judges are mandated to put aside political alliances and allegiance to campaign contributors as they do their job."

We couldn't agree more.

Which is why we are happy to learn that Judge Mike Meares refuses to accept campaign contributions from lawyers because he believes justice should not be "for sale."

In fact, Judge Meares is part of a growing nationwide movement for judicial campaign finance reform, led by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor who is campaigning for massive changes to the way judges get elected.

You can read more about it in a press release after the jump...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and the State of North Carolina support same approach to judicial campaign funding as Blount County Judge Mike Meares

MARYVILLE, Tenn. – June 30, 2008 – Blount County Circuit Court Judge Mike Meares, who has refused to accept campaign contributions from attorneys, is in good company when it comes to his belief that justice should not be “for sale.” Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is currently campaigning for massive changes to the way judges get elected.

Speaking at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs in Minneapolis early last month, O’Connor said judicial independence is the “crown jewel” of democracy, but easier to damage or destroy than most can imagine. “The appearance of outside influence on judges has to be avoided,” O’Connor said.

In November of last year, O’Connor wrote an editorial for The Wall Street Journal titled “Justice For Sale,” where she charged that outside money threatens the integrity of the courts.

“Judicial elections, which occur in some form in 39 states, are receiving growing attention from those who seek to influence them,” O’Connor wrote. “In fact, motivated interest groups are pouring money into judicial elections in record amounts. Whether or not they succeed in their attempts to sway the voters, these efforts threaten the integrity of judicial selection and compromise public perception of judicial decisions.”

O’Connor said that as spending rises, public confidence in the judiciary declines. She wrote, “Most of this money comes from special interest groups who believe that their contributions can help elect judges likely to rule in a manner favorable to their causes.” She said nine out of 10 people surveyed in Pennsylvania regard judicial fund-raising as evidence that justice is for sale, and many judges – including Meares – agree.

Judicial campaign finance reform, similar to what Meares is practicing by not accepting any campaign donations from attorneys, is gaining momentum nationwide. Just last month, neighboring North Carolina’s Appellate Court upheld the state’s public financing program for appellate judicial campaigns.

Of the North Carolina ruling, Deborah Goldberg, Democracy Program Director at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, said, “This is an extremely important decision for the battle to protect our elective state courts from the undue influence of money.

“This ruling preserves a campaign finance system that protects appellate judicial candidates in North Carolina from going hat in hand to the very parties and lawyers who appear before them in court.”

A new study released by the Brennan Center for Justice states, “The ethics and integrity of a judge should be beyond reproach. Accepting contributions from attorneys and the organizations representing them crosses a line and brings the impartiality of our judicial system into question.” The study also says judicial candidates should lead the way in campaign ethics; not be beholden to the lawyers who may appear before them.

Meares, who has been an independent voice in the Blount County Courts – choosing to conduct the court’s administrative business in an open courtroom and challenging previous Blount County practices – promised early in his campaign to accept no contributions from attorneys to avoid the appearance of influence and uphold the integrity of the Blount County Courts.

To date, Meares is the only local judicial candidate to follow the advice of Justice O’Connor and take a leading role locally in this national trend.

For more information about Blount County Judge Mike Meares, contact Rick Laney at (865) 300-4538 or Judge Mike Meares’ Campaign Headquarters (865) 865-681-0553.