Judge Accused of Cutting Award by $4.2M in Exchange for Campaign Contributions

Arkansas Matters: “After the 2013 trial a jury awarded Bull’s estate $5.2 million.

“The defendant in that case, Michael Morton, appealed the amount and Maggio later lowered it to $1 million.

“The lawsuit points out that Morton, on the day of the ruling, donated $21k to different political action committees, which were all believed to be funneled to Maggio’s campaign for Appellate Judge.”

NM Elects First Publicly Financed Judge after Both Candidates Take Public Financing

Albuquerque Journal: “Miles Hanisee isn’t just the first Republican to be elected to a state appellate court in 12 years.

“Hanisee is also the first publicly financed candidate to be elected to an appellate court since public financing became available to statewide judicial candidates in 2008.”

“Kiernan’s campaign was also publicly financed. It was the first time both candidates in a contested appellate court race opted to fund their campaigns with public dollars, rather than contributions from fellow lawyers, PACs, unions, corporations or other private interests.”

CAP: First NC Judicial Election without Public Financing Results in Campaigns Funded by Polluters

Center for American Progress: “As a result, the recent election was the first in a decade in which North Carolina Supreme Court candidates had to raise large amounts of campaign cash—much of it in large donations from attorneys and corporations with a financial interest in the court’s rulings. The eight general election candidates raised nearly $4 million from private donors. The two 2012 candidates, in contrast, each raised $80,000 in small donations and received nearly $250,000 in public funds for their campaigns.”