美国商业利益集团影响司法研究

The Influence of American Business Interest Groups on Justice

一直以来,政府俘获理论的研究者认为,行政机关和立法机关容易被利益集团俘获,司法机关则更容易保持中立和公正。但是,在美国,商业利益集团通过向法官输送金钱利益并影响法院判决已经成为不容争议的事实。美国商业利益集团利用其特殊的法律地位和雄厚财力,往往能够对州法院的司法决策产生重要影响。商业利益集团影响司法的法律路径包括:充分筹款为干预司法选举蓄力,塑造公众舆论影响法官连任,作为“法庭之友”影响案件审判结果,联合相关行业协会创造资金避风港。金钱司法的形成必然损害美国司法的公正。在美国目前的法律制度框架下,要破解金钱司法,加强对法官与商业利益集团关系的监督,仍然是一个十分棘手的问题。

Researchers of the state capture theory have long believed that the administrative and legislative organs tend to be captured by interest groups,while the judicial organs are more likely to remain neutral and fair.But in the United States,the reality is that commercial interest groups exert their influence on court decisions by offering monetary benefits to judges.With their prestigious legal status and abundant financial resources,American commercial interest groups can often have an important impact on the judicial decision-making of state courts.Their practice includes:intervening in judicial elections through fund-raising,affecting the re-election of judges by leading public opinion;influencing the court judgements of cases as an amicus curiae,creating a"safe haven"for capitals through alliance with other industries.The formation of"money justice"will inevitably damage American justice.However,under the current legal framework of the United States,it is still very difficult to break the"money justice"and strengthen the supervision over the relationship between judges and commercial interest groups.