judgesonmerit.org

The problems created by fundraising in judicial elections continue to plague West Virginia.  Gavel Grab has alerted us to a report in The West Virginia Record detailing that law firms involved in a case accepted for review by the Supreme Court are coming in to two of the three candidates running for Supreme Court.

The case involves a $400 million verdict against Dupont for alleged pollution.  The campaign donors are two of the law firms representing the plaintiffs.

Nothing prohibits such donations or directly requires judges to recuse in cases in which donors are involved.  That’s one of the biggest problems with electing judges.