Every member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court signed a letter supporting campaign finance reform for Supreme Court races, putting political pressure on the Legislature to act on a recent reform proposal.
All seven Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices signed a letter Monday endorsing public financing for Supreme Court races in an unprecedented"" support for campaign finance reform.
""We write to support the concept of realistic, meaningful public financing for Supreme Court elections,"" the letter stated.
The letter said the public must not think Justices are beholden to campaign contributors, which would hurt judicial credibility.
The Justices did not endorse a specific bill or proposal, but the letter was released a day before the governor's proposed special session on campaign finance reform.
Legislative leaders from both the Democratic-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled Assembly have stated they will not act on finance reform in December.
Gov. Jim Doyle spokesperson Carla Vigue said the letter showed campaign finance reform has bipartisan support and deserves a vote in the full Legislature.
Jay Heck, executive director of reform group Common Cause in Wisconsin, said the letter was ""incredibly significant"" and ""unprecedented.""
Heck said it was important to note that Justice David Prosser was the former Republican Speaker of the state Assembly, which he said shows campaign finance reform is not limited to more progressive-leaning Justices.
