how much should a lawyer contribute to a judge campaign

How many judges received campaign contributions from attorneys?

ATTORNEY CONTRIBUTIONS IN JUDICIAL CAMPAIGNS cial elections." It will then offer a proposal for the policy of recusal when attorney contributors appear before a judge, with a focus on the landmark case, Breakstone v. Mackenzie. 2 It will conclude with a proposal to prohibit attorney contributions, and will briefly address

Do campaign donations affect the partisan price of Justice?

Two of the attorneys who contributed gave Judge Connors the state maximum of $3,400 each while the matter was pending. The local county prosecutor filed a motion to have Judge Connors recused from the case, citing the campaign contributions as a conflict of interest. The motion also argued that the plaintiffs’ attorneys would receive almost

Do state Supreme Court judges favor attorneys who donate to campaigns?

A proposal to limit campaign contributions to $500 per contributor was not implemented. Thus, this analysis takes place under the long shadows cast by the Feerick Commission, the Lopez-Torres case in the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Assembly Bill proposed by Assemblywoman Weinstein, which would have implemented most of the Feerick Commission

Do donations to judges affect their decisions?

For purposes of this Rule, the term "political contribution" does not include uncompensated services. [3] Subject to the exceptions below, (i) the term "government legal engagement" denotes any engagement to provide legal services that a public official has the direct or indirect power to award; and (ii) the term "appointment by a judge ...

Do lawyers have a right to participate in the political process?

[1] Lawyers have a right to participate fully in the political process, which includes making and soliciting political contributions to candidates for judicial and other public office. Nevertheless, when lawyers make or solicit political contributions in order to obtain an engagement for legal work awarded by a government agency, or to obtain appointment by a judge, the public may legitimately question whether the lawyers engaged to perform the work are selected on the basis of competence and merit. In such a circumstance, the integrity of the profession is undermined.

Is political contribution included in referendum?

Political contributions in initiative and referendum elections are not included. For purposes of this Rule, the term "political contribution" does not include uncompensated services. [3] Subject to the exceptions below, (i) the term "government legal engagement" denotes any engagement to provide legal services that a public official has ...

Big law firms give big money for judge races

1 of 9 Attorney E. Stewart Jones speaks before U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino gets sworn in by Chief Judge Norman A. Mordue at the Federal Courthouse in Albany, N.Y. on Monday, Sept. 19, 2011. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union) Lori Van Buren Show More Show Less

Legal donations

Below is a list of how much the Capital Region's largest law firms donated to judges and district attorney candidates in local races from Jan. 1, 2009 to Sept. 4, 2019.

Can a planning committee send a letter asking for a candidate to support a candidate?

Yes. The planning committee may send letters asking if the recipient will support the candidacy, volunteer to work on the campaign, display signs, distribute literature and engage in other similar activities, but it must not solicit contributions. Ethics Opinion JI-081.

Can a candidate for judicial office use a retirement check?

Yes. “A candidate for judicial office may retain and use a contribution to retire campaign expenses under circumstances where a check was mailed prior to the close of the general election, but received after the date of the general election.” Ethics Opinion JI-005.

Can an organization be engaged in adversary proceedings?

Yes, unless “it is likely that the organization will be engaged in proceedings that would ordinarily come before the judge or will be regularly engaged in adversary proceedings in any court.” MCJC 4C; Ethics Opinion JI-139.

Can a judge place an advertisement in a political party book?

Yes. “A judge or candidate may place an advertisement in a political party’s ad book so long as the content of the advertisement does not constitute a speech on behalf of a political party or nonjudicial candidate or an endorsement of a candidate for nonjudicial office.” Ethics Opinion

Can a judge attend a fundraiser?

“[A] judge may attend a fundraiser held for a nonjudicial candidate, and may participate in campaign activities which do not constitute a public endorsement of the nonjudicial candidate. The same rules apply to a judge’s participation in a campaign for a nonjudicial candidate who is a relative of the judge or a member of the judge’s household.” Ethics Opinion JI-030. See also

Can a judge's name be used in a campaign?

Yes. “A judge may allow the judge’s name and judicial title to be used in a campaign brochure and a radio ad in which the judge is quoted as supporting a judicial candidate judge, as long as the endorsement is not used for fundraising.” Ethics Opinion JI-095.

Can a judicial candidate get a late arriving refund?

Yes . “A judicial candidate who receives a refund due to an overcharge for campaign services, which refund arrives after accounts for the judicial campaign have been closed, may apply the late-arriving refund to any unsatisfied campaign debts.” Ethics Opinion JI-063.

What is the National Institute on Money in State Politics?

The National Institute on Money in State Politics tracks contributions to political campaigns in the 50 states. The American Bar Association offers a fact sheet explaining how judges are selected in various states. The National Center for State Courts is a nonprofit organization focused on judicial reform.

Do judges have to be impartial?

Unlike other elected officials, however, judges must be impartial in their decisions. There is concern among some policymakers, legal observers and others that judicial decisions may be affected by donations to judges’ election campaigns.

Do judges rely on public funding to fund their elections?

State supreme court judges who rely on public financing to fund their elections become less likely to favor attorneys who have donated to their campaigns in the past, a 2016 study suggests.