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US Supreme Court Rules in Caperton v. Massey Case: Special Interest Money in Judicial Elections Can Create Appearance of Bias, Erode Public Confidence in Courts.

Washington, D.C. - The US Supreme Court ruled on Monday June 8, 2009 that the ever growing spending in judicial elections by special interest and partisan groups can undermine public confidence, give a perception of impropriety, and in extraordinary cases can deny 14th Amendment rights.

The Court recognized that the circumstances of this particular case are extra-ordinary both in the amount of money involved and the direct influence the contributions had upon the campaign. In 2004, a West Virginia coal executive working for Massey Energy Company contributed $3 million to the election campaign of a state Supreme Court candidate while appealing, to the West Virginia Supreme Court, a $50 million jury award against the company. Following the candidate's election to the court, that justice rejected numerous requests to recuse himself from the case, and was the deciding vote to overturn the jury decision. Story continued on Public Policy Page.

CJI Membership Elects New Board Members

Denver, CO - The CJI membership gathered at the Curtis Hotel for the annual meeting and board election. During the event the membership elected two new board members - K.C. Groves attorney at Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe, PC and Sharon Linhart of Linhart Public Relations. For more information, please click here.

2009 CJI Judicial Independence Breakfast Successful: Speakers Urge Vigilance to Protect Judicial Independence and Excellence in Colorado

Denver, CO - CJI welcomed more than 160 guests to the 2009 Judicial Independence Membership breakfast on April 16th. Former Justice Rebecca's Love Kourlis and Judge William F. Dressel showed their support of CJI and our projects while providing a national perspective on trends in judicial merit selection and judicial education. For more information, please click here.

National Speaker recognizes work of "Unique" Colorado Judicial Institute

Denver, CO – The Colorado Judicial Institute hosted 585 judges, lawyers and community members at the 6^th Annual Judicial Excellence for Colorado Dinner on Tuesday, November 18^th. Keynote speaker, Bert Brandenburg, Executive Director of Justice at Stake, based in Washington DC, congratulated CJI for “being a unique organization conducting important work” that guarantees that Colorado has the best possible judicial system.

To read the complete article, click here.

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2009 Annual Report

The annual report was presented to the CJI membership in attendance at the annual meeting on May 28, 2009.

	2009 Annual Report (630 KB)

CJI Forms Partnership with National Judicial College to educate Colorado Judges and Magistrates.

	National Judicial College Partnership Announcement (465 KB)

Justice At Stake Poll: Judicial impartiality questioned by public in cases involving campaign contributors.

While Colorado does not have a judicial selection system that requires private fund raising for partisan judicial campaigns, the results of the Justice at Stake poll bolsters CJI's support of merit selection and non-partisan retention election systems as models to ensure fairness and public confidence in the judicial system.

	Justice At Stake Poll (Word Document) (31 KB)

Family Law Committee Research Report

	A Voice of Their Own: Youth Perceptions of How They are Represented in Court Placement Decisions Regarding Foster Care and Other Attachment Description (514 KB)