LOD: Jim & Jim on Gem

Former Governors Jim Holshouser (R) and Jim Hunt (D) have an op-ed column in the Greensboro and Wilmington newspapers that lays out the case for keeping the judicial public financing program. It begins, “As former governors, we often disagree. But here’s one area where we strongly agree: We don’t want the integrity of our courts – or your right to a fair trial – put at risk by large campaign donations. Unfortunately, the risk will increase if a handful of state legislators persuade their colleagues to abandon a program that has helped protect our courts from the influence of political money. Judges on the N.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals are elected – and that means they need campaign money from somewhere to get their message out to voters. But there’s an obvious problem with judges raising large amounts of money from those who appear in the courts. Nobody wants to see the umpire taking money from one of the teams before the game begins.”