How courts systems find their judges is having a spotlight moment. Comedian John Oliver unspooled a 13-minute argument against judicial election donations in February. Presidential candidate and Sen. Ted Cruz has called for retention elections of U.S. Supreme Court justices. And this month Justice at Stake, one of the most visible groups opposing the politicization of judicial seats, will lose its executive director.
Bert Brandenburg will become president of the Appleseed public-interest law network this month. In his 14 years at Justice at Stake, awareness of the group’s mission has grown.
“What was most exciting and I’m proudest of was helping build a movement from scratch and put a new issue on the map of the American political landscape,” Brandenburg said, reflecting on his tenure. “We’re moving towards an enough-is-enough movement. I think getting cash out of the courtroom is the fastest growing democracy issue right now.”
It has been an absolute pleasure speaking to Bert and his group, and I will miss having his careful and thoughtful work in this arena. Good luck!