Hightower Lowdown

The courts are the one place where justice is supposed to be blind, where unbiased judges solemnly uphold the law, with favor toward none. Unless, that is, you happen to live in states like Ohio, Texas, California, Illinois, Michigan and Alabama, where top judges are elected, and corporate powers have learned that campaign contributions can produce favorable results from the bench.

Corporations and lobbyists have been pouring millions of dollars recently into candidates for judgeships in various states, and the courts have dutifully cranked out pro corporate decisions for their financial backers.

The Texas Supreme Court has become so badly corrupted that there might as well be a cash register in front of the nine justices—each of them pro corporate Republicans elected with beaucoup cash from corporations with cases pending before the court.

In the last election year, two of these incumbents, Nathan Hecht and Al Gonzales were absolutely stuffed with this special interest money. Hecht got 96% of his campaign war chest from corporate interests and their lawyers, while Gonzales got 92% from them. They even took campaign contributions from an insurance company while they were considering a case against the company. Big surprise: Hecht and Gonzales then voted for the company, which won the case.

To fight this invidious judicial injustice, contact Texans for Public Justice: 512 472 9770.