Washington, D.C. — On Monday, October 28, the Center for American Progress will host two former state supreme court justices to discuss the impact of explosive campaign spending on our criminal justice system.
Former State Supreme Court Justices Oliver Diaz of Mississippi and Louis Butler of Wisconsin both faced vicious “soft-on-crime” attack ads from groups funded by big business. The recent explosion in judicial campaign spending has fueled an increase in these “soft-on-crime” ads. The ads typically focus on a judge’s ruling in a case involving a heinous crime, suggest that voters are not safe with the judge on the bench, and create political pressure on judges to rule in favor of the state in criminal cases.
At the event, the Center for American Progress will release a new report, which finds that the recent surge in judicial campaign spending has led state supreme courts to rule against criminal defendants more often.
WHO:
Welcome:
Lori Lodes, Senior Vice President of Campaigns and Strategies, Center for American Progress Action Fund; Senior Vice President, Center for American Progress
Panelists:
Louis Butler, former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice; partner at Gonzalez, Saggio, & Harlan LLP
Oliver Diaz, former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice and attorney
Stephen Bright, President and Senior Counsel, Southern Center for Human Rights
Moderator:
Billy Corriher, Associate Director of Research, Legal Progress
WHEN:
Monday, October 28, 2013
12:00 p.m. EST – 1:30 p.m. EST
A light lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m.
WHERE:
Center for American Progress
1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
RSVP:
RSVP for this event →
For more information, please contact Madeline Meth at [email protected] or 202.741.6277.
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