Wersal for Justice

Greg Wersal and the Minnesota State Fair

Greg will be there most afternoons.

The State Fair is a tradition for many Minnesotans. Greg will be visiting and discussing issues with attendees at the Republican Party of Minn located at the South side of Carnes between Nelson and Underwood

Please come by and show your support!

A fair map with the location marked with a gold star can be found here

Judicial Rules Prohibiting Election Fundraising Struck Down

On July 29th we are happy to report the following decision was made by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Greg Wersal challenged rules created by the Minnesota Supreme Court that prohibited judicial candidates from personally soliciting campaign funds unless the candidate’s audience consisted of at least 20 people. The Court agreed with Wersal that the rule violated the First Amendment guarantee of Free Speech. Another rule that prohibited judicial candidates from endorsing other candidates for office was also struck down.

In 2002, Wersal won a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that permitted judicial candidates to state their views on legal issues and seek political party endorsement. Wersal is running for the Minnesota Supreme Court in the elections this Fall and has been endorsed by the Republican Party, the Constitution Party and the Libertarian Party.

“This is a major victory toward the goal of holding judges accountable through free, open and competitive elections,” said Wersal. “ I now hope to raise the money necessary to tell the people of Minnesota that the judges, including my opponent in this race, want a constitutional amendment that would strip the public of their right to vote for judges. I will do everything I can to protect the right to vote.”

The full decision can be read here

Your Vote - Judicial Accountability and Greg Wersal

Judges have become policy makers in our society. They decide all sorts of issues from fiscal issues, such as school funding and state appropriations, to social issues such as criminal sentences and child custody. As public policy makers they should be accountable to the public and to your vote. That is a simple concept.

Greg Wersal believes that judges must be accountable to the Constitution and to the public. Greg believes in the right to vote and that people have a right to choose their judges. Greg believes in that simple concept and he believes it is worth fighting for. Greg Wersal’s story is that he fought all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court for your right to vote and to make judges accountable. He has fought in the hearing rooms of the Minnesota Legislature. And he fights today in his election campaign to make judges accountable to the public.

Who is Greg Wersal?

Who is Greg Wersal? Greg Wersal is perhaps the lawyer judges hate most. This is because Greg Wersal has worked tirelessly to make judges accountable to the public through free, open and competitive elections. If you do not know of Greg Wersal’s story, keep reading and you will know why some people call Greg Wersal a “hero.”

When most people go to vote, they have no idea who the judicial candidates are or why they should vote for them. This doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by design. The judges who created this system want it to work that way -- because they keep getting re-elected.

In a normal election, you would expect the candidate to tell you their views on legal and political issues. Then you, as a voter, would be able to make an intelligent choice when you vote. But the judges created a rule that prohibited judicial candidates from stating their views on legal and political issues.

In a normal election, you would expect the candidate to raise money so that he could get his message out to the public. But in a judicial campaign, the candidates are prohibited from personally soliciting campaign funds. This rule created by the Minnesota Supreme Court made it virtually impossible for a challenger to win against an incumbent judge.

In a real sense these elections were/are sham elections -- stolen elections -- that did/do not serve the public, but only serve the interests of the incumbents who want to maintain their positions of power.

Greg Wersal challenged some of the most flagrant rules as unconstitutional infringements of free speech in a case that went all the way to the U. S. Supreme Court. And Greg won! (For more information on this 8 year battle see the article entitled Fixing Judicial Elections.) As a result of Greg’s fight, judicial candidates can state their views on legal issues and should be able to solicit funds for their campaigns.

But the story does not end there.

Contribute

I ask for your support. Please consider a donation of $ 22, 50, 100. If you can send more, please do.

I also ask for your endorsement. It is critical for our success that each of you take a moment to discuss with friends and neighors

the election of our judges.

On line donations can be made through the Contribute On line box at right. It is fast and easy.

If you prefer to mail a contribution send to:

Wersal for Justice

P.O. Box 22

Jordan, MN 55352

Thank you for your support.

Greg Wersal

Candidate for the Minnesota Supreme Court