Wisconsin Right to Life has filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to strike down rules that prohibit judicial candidates from answering questions about personal views, The Associated Press reported.
The case stems from a questionnaire given to judicial candidates prior to the 2006 election. All but one candidate refused to reveal personal views on political issues, citing rules that prohibit such answers put forth by the Wisconsin Judicial Commission and the Office of Lawyer Regulation.
The pro-life organization filed the suit in U.S. District Court, arguing the rules violate candidates' right to free speech and deny people the information needed to cast an informed vote.
James Alexander, executive director of the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, said he expects the court to uphold the rules.
"You don't want cases being decided on campaign promises," he said. "You want them decided with the integrity of the process -- on the law and the facts of each particular case."
James Bopp, the attorney representing Wisconsin Right to Life, said while the group agrees that judges should not promise how they would rule on certain issues, the rules deny judges the right to free speech.
"The problem in Wisconsin is that these canons are much broader than that," he said. "They are prohibiting judicial candidates from announcing their views on disputed legal and political issues."
Several states -- including Alaska, North Dakota, Kentucky, Kansas and Indiana -- have seen similar challenges argued with success.
