The current judicial election system in Texas allows civil judges to accept contributions from parties and attorneys appearing before them.
Due process requires that judges be impartial and appear so to all citizens.
This is virtually impossible under the current system, which has produced extraordinary public skepticism within the legal community and among Texas citizens. This concern is reinforced by the fact that most judicial campaign contributions in Texas come from people with business before the courts. For example, a study by Texans for Public Justice indicated that 60 percent of Texas Supreme Court decisions made in the past two years were made by parties and attorneys who had appeared before the Court. The problem of judicial campaigns is rooted in how campaigns are financed in Texas. Texas is one of 14 states that has partisan judicial elections and the highest contribution limits of any state.