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Judicial Integrity: Should Judges Decide Cases Involving Their Major Campaign Contributors?
The results of the state Supreme Court election on April 4 will likely have a major impact on Wisconsinites.
Do campaign contributions affect judicial independence? Do such contributions create a public perception of judicial bias? Should judges should decide cases involving their major campaign contributors?
The League of Women Voters believes that the methods of financing political campaigns should ensure the public's right to know, combat corruption and undue influence, enable candidates to compete more equitably for public office, and allow maximum citizen participation in the political process.
Our speakers:
The Honorable Louis Butler
Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice
As the first African American to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court (2004-2008), Justice Louis Butler participated in decisions that have had significant legal impacts in the State of Wisconsin. He spent a great portion of his career as a public servant, acting as a criminal defense attorney, an appellate attorney, a law instructor, a state court judge, and a municipal judge. Justice Butler argued before the United States Supreme Court and is a permanent member of the faculty of the National Judicial College in Reno, Nev., where judges from across the nation and around the world take continuing judicial education classes.
Matt Rothschild
Executive Director of Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
Since coming to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign at the start of 2015, Rothschild has concentrated his work on raising public awareness of the need to ban gerrymandering, limit big and dark money in our politics, protect and expand the freedom to vote, and oppose the anti-democracy movement in our state and in our country. He’s the author of 12 Ways to Save Democracy in Wisconsin, published by the University of Wisconsin Press (2021). Prior to joining the Democracy Campaign, Matt worked at The Progressive magazine for 32 years. For most of those, he was the editor and publisher of The Progressive.
Erin Everett
Moderator
Erin Everett is a member of LWVDC and is the copywriter on the State Bar of Wisconsin’s marketing team. She graduated cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Law and started her legal career working on criminal appeals. Erin has taught courses in criminal law, constitutional law, and legal research and writing. In 2013, she began working as a continuing legal education program planner at the State Bar of Wisconsin.