NC Policy Watch presents a Crucial Conversation luncheon with Billy Corriher from the Center for American Progress—
Crucial Conversation luncheon – Dirty money, dirty water: The end of judicial campaign public financing in North Carolina
The 2014 fall election is in full swing and, as they’ve come to expect, North Carolinians are being bombarded with campaign ads funded by mysterious groups and individuals of whom most people have never heard – many of them not even from North Carolina.
For years, one set of public offices largely immune to this brand of base-level politics is that of the state’s judiciary. Thanks to a successful, publicly-financed state program that gave voters ownership over elections, judicial candidates who raised a threshold of small contributions were able to receive public dollars that allowed them to run credible, relatively evenly matched campaigns.
Unfortunately, the “Monster Voting law” of 2013 repealed public financing for judicial campaigns and consigned would-be judges to rely once more on the largesse of corporate special interests, well-heeled lawyers, partisan groups and others with a direct stake in the outcomes of the decisions they will render if elected.
What has been the impact of repealing judicial campaign public financing?
Please join us Tuesday, September 30, at noon as we explore the answers to this and other closely related questions with Billy Corriher (pictured left above), author of a new report: “Dirty Money, Dirty Water: The end of judicial campaign public financing in North Carolina.”
Corriher is the Director of Research for Legal Progress at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C., where his work focuses on state courts and the influence of political contributions on judges. He is also a former North Carolinian.
Corriher will be joined by Chris Kromm (pictured right above), Executive Director of the Durham-based Institute for Southern Studies, publisher of Facing South and one of North Carolina’s best-known muckrakers. Kromm also co-directs the Institute’s election spending tracking project FollowNCMoney.org.
Cosponsored by: The Center for American Progress, the Institute for Southern Studies, Democracy North Carolina and North Carolina Voters for Clean Elections.
When: Tuesday, September 30, at noon — Box lunches will be available at 11:45 a.m.
Where: Center for Community Leadership Training Room at the Junior League of Raleigh Building, 711 Hillsborough St. (At the corner of Hillsborough and St. Mary’s streets)
Space is limited – pre-registration required.
Cost: $10, admission includes a box lunch.
Questions?? Contact Rob Schofield at 919-861-2065 or rob@ncpolicywatch.com