21 posts found, showing 20 per page

WVCCE Blog WVCCE August 20, 2019
Judicial Public Financing is a Racial Justice Issue
We know that protecting and improving public financing won't transform our courts overnight. In order for our courts to be more fair and just, there has to be a concerted effort, starting even before law school, to recruit a diverse pool of talented law students who could eventually become judges. We also know that you shouldn't have to be wealthy, white, and male to run for state supreme court,  and that West Virginians who end up before our judges should be able to trust that there are a range of life experiences represented.  More
Issues: Fair Courts, Public Financing, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog WVCCE February 24, 2019
Attacking and Packing the Courts Won’t Restore Honor and Integrity
Rather than attacking and packing the courts, the Legislature and Court should double-down on implementing reforms to promote a fair and impartial judiciary and improve confidence in both the judicial system and the electoral process. Ways they can do this include strengthening disclosure of the secret, special interest money flooding our judicial elections., funding our judicial public financing program/system so that candidates for the Supreme Court don’t have to take money from parties who might later have cases before the Court and making the current process of filing judicial vacancies more transparent. More
Issues: Disclosure, Fair Courts, Public Financing, Transparency, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog WVCCE August 24, 2018
Making sense of the chaotic West Virginia Supreme Court impeachment
We're continuing to follow the WV Supreme Court impeachment saga closely. Earlier this week, the State Senate approved it's procedural rules for the impeachment trials. Current and former justices are scheduled to appear before the Senate on September 11 to answer to the charges against them. Stay tuned! In the meantime, check out this piece from our friends at the Institute for Southern Studies about the impeachment, and how corporate interests have shaped the court in an effort to deny ordinary West Virginians their day in court. More
Issues: Dark Money, Fair Courts, Public Financing, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer July 18, 2017
Attacks on Democracy Halted
During the 2017 session, legislators introduced a number of bills that would have negatively affected our electoral process. With your help we were able to halt these attacks on democracy. In a nutshell: a bill to repeal public financing for Supreme Court candidates was defeated, strict voter ID was rejected, and automatic voter registration was saved, while a bill to a that raised contribution limits and created new loopholes to allow more secret money into our elections languished in the final days. More
Issues: Dark Money, Disclosure, Public Financing, Voting Rights, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer March 7, 2017
Public Financing Repeal Defeated
Some good news: Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted down SB 463, saving public financing for West Virginia Supreme Court candidates. This is an important victory for fair courts. More
Issues: Disclosure, Public Financing, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer March 4, 2017
Public Financing, Voting Rights Under Attack
Bills to repeal the WV Supreme Court of Appeals Public Campaign Financing Program and impose strict identification requirements in order to vote have been introduced in the West Virginia Legislature. The voter ID bill would also eliminate automatic voter registration (AVR) at the Division of Motor Vehicles. We need your help to stop these terrible proposals. More
Issues: Disclosure, Fair Courts, Public Financing, Secret Money, Voting Rights

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer August 3, 2016
Speak Up! We Need Senator Manchin to Support Democracy Reforms
In Congress, some lawmakers have proposed solutions to put regular voters back in control of our elections: The We the People package and the Fair Elections Now Act. This is our chance to be heard. Tell Senator Manchin to put everyday Americans first and cosponsor the We the People package and the Fair Elections Now Act. More
Issues: Citizens United, Clean Elections, Dark Money, Democracy, Disclosure, Public Financing, Secret Money

Press Release Julie Archer May 12, 2016
Special Interests Win in Supreme Court Takeover
Wealthy special interests win in West Virginia Supreme Court race, but without full knowledge of who was behind outside efforts to elevate Beth Walker. Our judges should be selected on their merits not on attack ads or money spent by special interests. More
Issues: Citizens United, Clean Elections, Disclosure, Fair Courts, Public Financing, Secret Money, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer April 22, 2016
Judicial Public Financing: Moving Away from Corruption in the Courtroom
Our state’s judicial public financing system has given voters the ability to choose a judiciary that is truly independent because publicly financed candidates don’t have to rely on support from lawyers and special interest contributors who frequently have cases before the court. More
Issues: Clean Elections, Fair Courts, Public Financing, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer April 6, 2016
Join us in DC April 16-18 for Democracy Awakening!
Later this month, thousands of people will be coming together in our nation's capital to demand a democracy that works for all of us – where our votes are not denied and money doesn’t buy access and power. More
Issues: Citizens United, Clean Elections, Democracy, Disclosure, Public Financing, Voting Rights

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer March 24, 2016
Supreme Court Hears Public Financing Appeals
A temporary panel of judges sitting in for members of the WV Supreme Court of Appeals agreed with the State Election Commission's decision to award public financing to Brent Benjamin and Bill Wooton. Their opponent, Beth Walker, had challenged the SEC's decision based on procedural technicalities. More
Issues: Clean Elections, Fair Courts, Public Financing, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer January 22, 2016
Meaningful Disclosure of Campaign Cash Needed
If the Legislature wants to get serious about disclosure of campaign cash, they should make sure every secret money group – liberal and conservative – attempting to sway election results has to disclose where the money came from. Our right to know who is influencing our elections is not a partisan issue. No matter your political beliefs, we all benefit when we know what is going on in the government. More
Issues: Citizens United, Clean Elections, Dark Money, Public Financing

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer January 22, 2016
With Blankenship Conviction, We Must Remember Fuller Legacy on the State
With the unprecedented conviction of former Massey Energy CEO, Don Blankenship, the public should take comfort that Blankenship has been served a small measure of justice for his actions. But we also must remember Blankenship's fuller legacy on the state and the effects his prioritization of profit had elsewhere — namely our elections. More
Issues: Clean Elections, Dark Money, Fair Courts, Public Financing, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer November 3, 2015
Fair Courts: Money, politics tipping scales of justice?
If you went to court tomorrow, would you ultimately get a fair and impartial decision? Or are the scales of justice tilted by special interests spending big and playing dirty in efforts to shape elected courts to their liking? A new national report underscores the troubling answer to these questions. Bankrolling the Bench: The New […] More
Issues: Citizens United, Clean Elections, Dark Money, Fair Courts, Public Financing, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer November 3, 2015
Fair Courts Summit Brings Together Advocates Working to Protect Our Courts
In July, Natalie Thompson and I represented WV Citizens for Clean Elections at the second annual Fair Courts State Summit in Washington, DC. The summit, hosted by our national partner Justice at Stake and sponsored by the Brennan Center for Justice, Wellstone Action, and the Piper Fund (longtime funders of our clean elections work) brought […] More
Issues: Clean Elections, Dark Money, Fair Courts, Public Financing

Press Release Julie Archer July 31, 2015
WV elections panel declines to clean up public campaign law
In May, the commission drafted rules to make the public financing law consistent with the new nonpartisan election and had proposed resolving the funding ambiguity with a rule clarifying that candidates could keep any unspent qualifying funds. More
Issues: Public Financing, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog WVCCE May 10, 2013
Public campaign financing is now permanent for WV state Supreme Court elections, now we need a permanent funding source!
An amazing thing happened at the 2013 legislative session, we made permanent the option for public campaign financing for WV state Supreme Court elections! Against all odds, our coalition worked hard, with your help, to make this happen. More
Issues: Public Financing

WVCCE Blog WVCCE April 2, 2013
Sign New Petition to Keep Public Finance in State Supreme Court Elections
Clean Elections = Fair Courts. Help Make Public Financing a Permanent Part of WV Supreme Court Elections More
Issues: Public Financing

Press Release WVCCE June 27, 2011
Supporters Say Supreme Court Ruling Disappointing, but Not Fatal for Public Financing
Supporters Say Supreme Court Ruling Disappointing, but Not Fatal for Public Financing More
Issues: Public Financing