Does the public have a right to know who exactly is paying to lobby judges to deliver favorable rulings? A committee in charge of federal judiciary rules recently said yes, but some of the most powerful corporate and conservative forces in Washington are now saying hell no — and trying to keep the information secret.
At issue are amicus briefs, expert legal filings designed to sway judges considering cases. Over the past several decades, business interests have built a lucrative industry in which they pay shadowy advocacy groups to author the briefs on their behalf, leaving the public and judges unable to know who sponsored the filings.
