Gavel Grab

The Mobile Press-Register writes about an out-of -state, third-party group that has gotten involved in the Supreme Court Race.

The group, The Center for Individual Freedom, has spent heavily on  TV ads in favor of appellate judge Greg Shaw, much to the chagrin of his opponent, trial judge Deborah Bell Paseur:

Representatives of Paseur, a Democrat who serves as a district judge in Lauderdale County, charged that the Center for Individual Freedom has spent more than $1 million on TV commercials in support of Shaw. Paseur campaign manager Marion Steinfels called on Shaw to demand that the Alexandria, Va.- based organization reveal its financial contributors or take down its commercials.

“The whole thing we’re interested in is finding out where this money is coming from,” Steinfels said. “Who is funding these ads?”

Justice at Stake’s Charlie Hall commented on The Center for Individual Freedom, and other third-party advertisers  in the article:

Charlie Hall, a spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based Justice at Stake Campaign, said high-dollar campaign spending by outside groups is becoming increasingly common in judicial races. Commercials that do not specifically advocate a candidate’s election are exempt from disclosure rules that apply to the campaigns.

The groups are “much better able to shield who the donors are,” he said. “It’s an election ad in everything but name.”

Here is the ad that has caused the controversy (click the picture to view the ad):

Shaw and Paseur also have another point of contention in the last few days, on partisan elections. The Associated Press in Alabama has an article that talks about their differences. And as mentioned in Gavel Grab yesterday, a recent Birmingham News article discusses the role of PAC money in the race.

Tags: 3rd Party Advertising, Alabama, Paseur, Shaw, Supreme Court Election