Wasn't it just the other day that you were thinking, "Man, I wish I could find a blog that covered issues of fairness and impartiality in the state and federal judiciary"?
Well, Happy Chrismakkuh, because I'm giving you Gavel Grab. It's a new blog from Justice at Stake, a national non-profit group focused on maintaining impartiality in the courts. I talked to people at Justice at Stake for a story I wrote last year about increasingly politicized state-level judicial elections. They've done a good job of beating the drum on this issue for a while now.
Gavel Grab just launched this week, and already it's focusing on issues you're not really seeing many other places. One of yesterday's posts focused on the prospects for judicial reform in Wisconsin, which saw a record-setting $5.8 million court race earlier this year.
I'm not really taking sides here -- maybe you think it's great that courts are becoming more political and judges are becoming more vocal about their opinions on political questions. But the fact is, it's a big issue, and one that not many people are aware of. Gavel Grab -- and Justice at Stake -- are doing a good job of tracking it.
Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach has written about a range of topics, including social policy issues and urban planning and design. Originally from Tennessee, he joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism
E-mail: zpatton@governing.com 
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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