Justice in Texas
IS JUSTICE FOR SALE IN TEXAS?
When lawyers of the multibillion Pennzoil-Texaco cases came to trial, they were not in any means in a strange place. The lawyers had previously made big donations towards the campaigns of justices officiating the trials. Funding justices ' campaigns in Texas is not uncommon, neither is it illegal. Of the nine states where judges are chosen through partisan elections, Texas is the only state that chooses all members of the bench through elections and additionally, the only state that does not place a cap on campaign gifts. Due to this, bench polishing tactics are common phenomena. Voters and citizens, legislators and governors are partisan’s politicians in Texas (Newell, Prindle, Riddlesperger, & JR., 2010). They represent organized interests and political parties where they raise money from those organizations to carry out their campaigns. Once politicians win elections, members of the public expect them without limitations to serve the special interest and the partisan that helped them win the elections (Stromberger, 2008). In Texas, members of the public expects judges to abide by the elections within partisan contest in order to raise cash for campaigns through friendly interests and thereby treat everyone who shows up in courts equally and fairly. In Texas, money influences the politician’s campaigns and those concerned become great with regard to judges (Schmidt, Bardes, Shelley, Crain, & Maxwell, 2007).
The legislature of Texas attempted ineffectuality in addressing the roles of money during the judicial elections in the year 1995 Judicial Campaign Fairness Act (JCFA) (Newell, Prindle, Riddlesperger, & JR., 2010). The act limits law firms, amounts of the individuals, and PACs can raise to judicial candidates and therefore forbids corporate
IS JUSTICE FOR SALE IN TEXAS? contributions. Individuals can contribute up to $5,000 to candidates in statewide judicial. On the other hand, laws firms can contribute up
When lawyers of the multibillion Pennzoil-Texaco cases came to trial, they were not in any means in a strange place. The lawyers had previously made big donations towards the campaigns of justices officiating the trials. Funding justices ' campaigns in Texas is not uncommon, neither is it illegal. Of the nine states where judges are chosen through partisan elections, Texas is the only state that chooses all members of the bench through elections and additionally, the only state that does not place a cap on campaign gifts. Due to this, bench polishing tactics are common phenomena. Voters and citizens, legislators and governors are partisan’s politicians in Texas (Newell, Prindle, Riddlesperger, & JR., 2010). They represent organized interests and political parties where they raise money from those organizations to carry out their campaigns. Once politicians win elections, members of the public expect them without limitations to serve the special interest and the partisan that helped them win the elections (Stromberger, 2008). In Texas, members of the public expects judges to abide by the elections within partisan contest in order to raise cash for campaigns through friendly interests and thereby treat everyone who shows up in courts equally and fairly. In Texas, money influences the politician’s campaigns and those concerned become great with regard to judges (Schmidt, Bardes, Shelley, Crain, & Maxwell, 2007).
The legislature of Texas attempted ineffectuality in addressing the roles of money during the judicial elections in the year 1995 Judicial Campaign Fairness Act (JCFA) (Newell, Prindle, Riddlesperger, & JR., 2010). The act limits law firms, amounts of the individuals, and PACs can raise to judicial candidates and therefore forbids corporate
IS JUSTICE FOR SALE IN TEXAS? contributions. Individuals can contribute up to $5,000 to candidates in statewide judicial. On the other hand, laws firms can contribute up
References: Charldean Newell, D. F., Kraemer, R. H., Newell, C., & Prindle, D. F. (2007). Essentials of Texas Politics. New York: Cengage Learning. Jillson, C. C. (2011). Texas Politics. Florence: Taylor & Francis. Newell, C., Prindle, D. F., Riddlesperger, D. J., & JR. ( 2010). Texas Politics. New York: Cengage Learning. Schmidt, S. W., Bardes, B. A., Shelley, M. C., Crain, E., & Maxwell, W. E. (2007). American Government and Politics Today. New York: Cengage Learning. Stromberger, E. (2008). John Hill for the State of Texas. College Station: Texas A&M University Press.