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Sunday, December 18, 2005
Courts - Donations to elected judges complicate Philip Morris tobacco suit
"Donations complicate Philip Morris tobacco suit" is the headline to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch story published yesterday. It begins:
SPRINGFIELD, ILL. A lobbying group that filed a brief defending Philip Morris USA in a massive Illinois lawsuit contributed more than $1 million last year to state Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier, who helped decide that suit in the tobacco giant's favor last week.Philip Morris' hired legal team donated an additional $16,800 to Karmeier, state records show.
Meanwhile, the St. Louis-area lead attorney for the losing side had donated more than $100,000 to groups opposing Karmeier's election.
There is nothing illegal about the donations, as Illinois law doesn't limit the source or size of campaign contributions to judges or anyone else. However, campaign reform advocates say the circumstances still raise concern.
"This is a very good example of why both sides were so interested in this race," said Cindi Canary of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. "Our judicial system is in the middle of a high-stakes shootout. It makes it very difficult for anyone who gets to the bench to insulate themselves from their contributors."
Posted by Marcia Oddi on December 18, 2005 09:35 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts