Bench Press: State Supreme Court Races Get Interesting
Earlier this week, a group called FAIRPAC registered with the state as a PAC, or political action committee. FAIRPAC is going to raise money on behalf of judicial candidates. 3 Washington Sate Supreme Court seats are up this year: liberal to moderate judges, Susan Owens, Tom Chambers, and Gerry Alexander.
The arrival of FAIRPAC is good news because another PAC, the Constitutional Law PAC, has been registered since late last year. Word is: Con Law PAC—as part of a successful national strategy being executed by conservatives— is going to fund a slate of conservative judges to take out Owens, Chambers, and Alexander.
A quick cross reference of Con Law PAC’s contributors shows nearly 90% overlap with donors to the James Johnson campaign—a business-friendly conservative Supreme Court candidate who took out the more liberal Mary Kay Becker in 2004. Former GOP Senator Slade Gorton is Con Law PAC’s chairman.
While there are contribution limits on judicial races in Washington state ($1400 per contributor), there are no limits on donating to PACs. That makes Con Law PAC a threatening force. According to the PI: “Johnson was elected in 2004 with the help of more than $200,000 in campaign contributions from the Building Industry Association of Washington and its affiliates…Johnson’s BIAW money alone dwarfed the entire campaign treasury of his opponent, Mary Kay Becker.”
This is all so wrong. What these PAC's are doing is showing exactly what predisposition candidates have. Judges are supposed to not be biased, yet these PACs are contributing precisely because their judicial candidates are going to be more disposed to litigants the PACs favor. Plus, the PACs are a convenient way to escape PDC disclosure of who is actually giving the $$$$. So they can be used to pay back for judicial holdings that went the "right" way for the donor, without it being obvious.
Judges should not be politicians -- ours are (in spades).