It's a day that ends in Y this week, so someone must be getting indicted. The Justice Department has charged former New York Supreme Court Justice Thomas Spargo with attempted extortion and federal program bribery.

After a long delay, the U.S. Supreme Court announced on Friday it would hear an appeal from West Virginia concerning campaign finance and whether a state Supreme Court justice has the responsibility to recuse himself when a campaign contributor is affected.

For years, the West Virginia Supreme Court has been riled by stories of pay-to-play politics and access and influence by wealthy executives. And now, it might go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Texans for Public Justice has released a new report highlighting the connections between the donors to Supreme Court candidates and the business these donors have before the court.

Yeah, that whole "impartial judiciary" thing...not so much. As this piece at Salon.com (you may have to watch a short ad to read the whole article) reveals, 24 candidates vying for seats in our nation's appellate and district courts gave directly to the officials who had a hand in winning their appointments - including President Bush.

It's the second time out for North Carolina's judicial public financing system and this article focuses on matching funds that allow candidates using the system to challenge privately financed opponents.