Public financing for judicial campaigns dies in legislature

A bill that would have created a pilot program for publicly-financed state Supreme Court races died in the Washington Senate yesterday. The proposal has been introduced annually since the state's hotly-contested judicial elections of 2006. Brad Shannon of The Olympian has the story here.

Bill to provide public financing for judicial races

A bill has been introduced in the Washington Legislature that would allow public financing of judicial races. The sponsors acknowledge the state's budget crisis by making the program contingent on the state allocating $3 million sometime in the future.

Washington state's 2006 Supreme Court elections were hotly contested, and a similar bill was introduced last year in response. Rep. Sam Hunt, a sponsor of this year's bill, chairs the committee to which the bill has been assigned. He plans to hold a hearing in the next few weeks. The Olympian has more here.