Bar Association: Judges Should Avoid Cases Involving Contributors
From the Springfield State Journal-Register
Although the Illinois State Bar Association has long supported the merit selection of judges, the organization’s president says “the political will is not there” to change the current system of electing them.
But the ISBA has proposed what John Thies believes is a more practical step.
Thies, a 25-year practicing attorney from Urbana, spoke to The State Journal-Register’s editorial board last week and said the ISBA has sent a proposal to the state Supreme Court that would change judicial disqualification standards — the standards used to require a judge to recuse himself or herself from a case.
The proposed change to the Code of Judicial Conduct, adopted overwhelmingly by the ISBA’s Assembly in December, would require recusal where political contributions to a judge create a probability of bias.
“Not every political contribution would qualify,” Thies said. “It depends on the proximity and the amount of the contribution.”
He said the proposal, which only can be implemented by the state’s high court, is consistent with the rules of the U.S. Supreme Court.
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From the Springfield State Journal-Register
Although the Illinois State Bar Association has long supported the merit selection of judges, the organization’s president says “the political will is not there” to change the current system of electing them.
But the ISBA has proposed what John Thies believes is a more practical step.
Thies, a 25-year practicing attorney from Urbana, spoke to The State Journal-Register’s editorial board last week and said the ISBA has sent a proposal to the state Supreme Court that would change judicial disqualification standards — the standards used to require a judge to recuse himself or herself from a case.
The proposed change to the Code of Judicial Conduct, adopted overwhelmingly by the ISBA’s Assembly in December, would require recusal where political contributions to a judge create a probability of bias.
“Not every political contribution would qualify,” Thies said. “It depends on the proximity and the amount of the contribution.”
He said the proposal, which only can be implemented by the state’s high court, is consistent with the rules of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Read more in our daily News Update...