Would Dialing for Dollars Corrupt the Judicial System?

The US Supreme Court’s controversial decision in the Citizens United case has unleashed untold millions of dollars in campaign spending—including anonymous contributions. What’s the impact on the judicial system in states where judges must stand for election?

In 2009, Judge Lanell Williams-Yulee in Hillsburough County, Florida, signed a letter seeking contributions for her re-election campaign. The State Supreme Court ruled that she violated a code of conduct. Now the US Supreme Court is being asked to rule on whether that code, which bans such solicitations, is a violation of the First Amendment.

Norman Ornstein is a Congressional Scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute and a correspondent for the Atlantic. His most recent article is headlined, “Courting Corruption: The Auctioning of the Judicial System".