Free Republic

Days before the Wisconsin Supreme Court election a major union representing transit workers wrote an $18,000 check to Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz’s campaign. For the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents bus drivers and mechanics, it was a huge donation compared with their previous donation to a Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate in 2018 for just $250. “There's a lot on the line with the Supreme Court race here,” said Donnell Shorter, head of the ATU Local 998 in Milwaukee. But that $18,000 is a drop in the bucket compared with the contributions of a few dozen ultra-wealthy donors. Recent...

Britain buckles before Saudi threats Financial Times 12/19/2006 Author: Philip Stephens Consider the dry explanation of Britain's most senior law officer: "It has been necessary to balance the need to maintain the rule of law against the wider public interest." Now translate: "Faced with serious threats to the nation's security from the rulers of Saudi Arabia, I have decided to put aside the fundamental principles at the heart of our democratic system of government." Little wonder that Lord Goldsmith, the attorney-general, sounded almost contrite when he called a halt to the long-running criminal investigation into whether a British defence company...