Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Williams-Yulee v. The Florida Bar. The court upheld a Florida rule that helps keep courts impartial by prohibiting judicial candidates from personally soliciting campaign contributions.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2015
Contact: Damien Filer
850-212-1858
Damien@ProgressFlorida.org
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Williams-Yulee v. The Florida Bar. The court upheld a Florida rule that helps keep courts impartial by prohibiting judicial candidates from personally soliciting campaign contributions. Below, please find a statement on the ruling from Lambda Legal’s Eric Lesh speaking on behalf of the Florida Access to Justice Project:
“Today, the highest court in the land affirmed that the kind of interference we saw from the Koch Brothers trying to unseat three Florida Supreme Court justices in 2012 is wrong.
“Florida needs these reasonable restrictions on judicial campaign conduct to protect our courts from special interest influence and ensure the public that justice in Florida is not for sale.
“We all pay the price when moneyed interests exert their influence over our courts. That is why the Florida Access to Justice Project is committed to an impartial and diverse state court system that reflects our communities and our values here in Florida.
“This decision today is a meaningful step in the right direction to helping us ensure access to justice in our courts.”
To arrange an interview, please contact Damien Filer at 850-212-1858 / Damien@ProgressFlorida.org or Jonathan Adams at 646-752-3251 / jadams@lambdalegal.org
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For more background on Williams-Yulee v. The Florida Bar visit: http://gavelgrab.org/?cat=689
The decision can be found here: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/13-1499_d18e.pdf