CWA Applauds Williams-Yulee Decision

CWA applauds the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Williams-Yulee v. Florida Bar upholding the Florida Bar Association's ban on direct solicitation of political contributions by judges in judicial elections.

Public confidence quickly erodes when judges seeking election are permitted to directly solicit the very individuals likely to appear before them in court. And our judicial branch can only be effective if the public has faith in the integrity of its decisions. Chief Justice John Roberts was correct in observing that the people question "a judge's ability to administer justice without fear or favor if he comes to office by asking for favors."

But we should hold all elected officials to this standard. Just as judges must be fair and impartial – not for sale and auctioned off to the highest bidder – so should our presidents, members of Congress, governors and state legislators.

The obscene amount of money that now controls our political system at every level is a direct result of the Supreme Court's Citizens United and McCutcheon decisions. We can't allow pay-to-play politics to destroy our democratic electoral process and the principle that every vote counts.

Read more:

ThinkProgress: The Supreme Court Reveals Everything That's Wrong With Citizens United In Four Ridiculous Sentences