The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Arizona could not prevent an judicial candidate from soliciting campaign contributions or speaking out on the law or other issues. The judge writing for the three panel court said that voters have a right to know the views of a candidate. (Courthouse News Service, May 12, 2014, by Jamie Ross)
The candidate thought he might violate Arizona’s law prohibiting judicial candidates from seeking contributions or endorsing other candidates, and the court ruled that the Arizona law intended to promote “apolitical judicial independence” subverted vital speech in political campaigns. Metropolitan News-Enterprise, May 12, 2014, by Kennethy Ofgang)