Statement on Wisconsin Judicial Recusal Proposal

Brendan Fischer, federal and FEC reform program director at the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) released the following statement about today’s hearing on strengthening the Wisconsin Supreme Court judicial recusal rules, which more than 50 former state judges support:

“The Wisconsin Supreme Court must move forward with new rules to assure the public that justice is not for sale. 

The growing role of money in judicial elections and recent changes to the law allowing judges to secretly work with their big money backers make it vital that the court adopt strong recusal rules to protect the integrity of the judiciary. When a judge hears a case involving their biggest financial supporters, there is a real risk of actual or apparent bias, which threatens the public's perception of the court and undermines its legitimacy."

On March 15, CLC filed comments with the Wisconsin Supreme Court in support of the rulemaking.