"Setting an important precedent, a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court ruled for the first time today that state judges can violate constitutional due-process guarantees by failing to recuse themselves from cases involving major campaign funders. Given the narrow wording of this 5-4 decision, and the extreme nature of West Virginia’s Caperton case, Texas need not overhaul its troubled judicial-selection system immediately. Nonetheless, the court invites greater scrutiny--and more federal challenges--to determine when the corrupting influence of judicial campaign money violates the U.S. constitution. Texas judges should stop raising campaign money from lawyers and litigants with business before their courts. We welcome greater federal oversight of this objectionable practice." --Texans for Public Justice Director Craig McDonald
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