Letter to Editor 9/19

Kudos for your 9/19 editorial, “Independence of state judiciary under attack”. You clearly describe the problem in keeping the judiciary as free from politics and special interests as possible. “Washington should be ready to fight to preserve the independence of its judiciary” is your concluding statement. To do this Washington should adopt a law similar to North Carolina, which law has not been struck down by a Federal Appellate Court.

N. Carolina is the first state to offer public financing for statewide judicial elections that follow the Voter Owned model. In 2004, 16 candidates ran for 2 Supreme Court seats and 3 Court of Appeals seats. 12 of the 16 candidates chose to use public financing for their campaigns rather than raise money from private and special interests.

Those choosing public funding won four of the five seats. Imagine, in this election due to this one law, 80% of the judges elected are not beholden to special interests or the lawyers who may appear before them! They are beholden now to the entire citizenship of N. Carolina. Wanda Bryant, re-elected to the N.C. Court of Appeals, said that she had been "strongly in favor of a reform that would limit the influence of big money contributions and reduce partisan politics in judicial campaigns ... As one of the first candidates to participate and win election under this new system, I can personally attest to its effectiveness."

For those interested in Voter Owned elections contact Washington Public Campaigns - [email protected].