LOD: West Virginia Witness

Yesterday, as the NC Senate voted to kill our state’s judicial public financing program, two West Virginia Republicans came to Raleigh to tell judges and legislators why their state just adopted essentially the same program to raise confidence in their judiciary and improve a sagging business climate. “The perception of judges being bought, rather than acting impartially, had created a great distrust among the populous,” said one of the visitors, a former WV Supreme Court justice. The NC Center for Voter Education has a succinct report of the day’s events, along with audio clips of what the WV Republicans said. The Charlotte Observer also has an account, stressing the challenges ahead to save the program from ideological opposition.