In the category of breaking news such as “the earth is still round” comes this poll revealing that people think campaign contributions affect the impartiality of judges:
The Charleston (WV) Gazette (2/23, Nyden) reports that a Harris Interactive poll funded by Justice at Stake Campaign, a nonprofit coalition that includes the American Association for Justice, between February 12 and 15 of 1,006 adults, 18 years or older found that “an overwhelming majority of people…doubted that elected judges can be impartial in cases that involve major campaign donors.” According to Harris, “seven of every 10 people polled believe judges are likely to be biased in cases involving major campaign supporters,” and “nearly 85 percent believe those judges should step down from hearing those cases.” Furthermore, “81 percent believe judges should not decide whether they can be fair and impartial.” Meanwhile, “a separate USA Today poll recently found that about 90 percent of respondents believed judges should not hear cases involving campaign contributors.”
From the American Association for Justice news release.
