National Center for State Courts

News Alert

On January 24, 2006, the United States Supreme Court refused to review the decision in Dimick v. Republican Party of Minnesota (No. 05-556), the successor case to Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, 122 S. Ct. 2528 (2002). Last year, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals struck limitations on a judge's ability to take part in partisan political activities and to seek campaign contributions, finding the limitations unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has allowed that decision to stand. This ruling could have far-reaching effects on the judicial selection process nationwide. Information about the ramifications of these decisions is available below.
The Los Angeles Times features coverage of the Dimick decision, including detailed explanation of the case's history in lower court. See David G. Savage, "Supreme Court Ruling Could Spur Partisan Judicial Campaigns," Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2006.
The Justice at Stake Campaign has issued a statement on the refusal to grant certiorari in Dimick, saying that it "has enormous implications for many of the nation’s state judges who stand for election." The full statement appears on the Justice at Stake Web site.
The CourTopics database also features Web modules on Judicial Selection and Retention, and Ethics, Conduct and Discipline.
The Justice at Stake Campaign Web site also features a response to the original White decision in 2002, along with more information about judicial selection.

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The PDF Reader - You will need Adobe's free PDF reader to view/print some of the links and publications mentioned on the NCSC pages. To download the reader, click on the Acrobat Reader icon above.