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Wersal To Take Case To US Supreme Court -- Again

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A Minnesota lawyer who's long fought against limits on judicial campaigning says he'll ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review a federal appeals court decision that reinstates Minnesota's restrictions.

Greg Wersal says a split among federal appeals court circuits gives him an excellent chance of getting the high court to step in and clarify how judicial candidates can campaign.

Wersal has been there before. The Supreme Court sided with him in a 2002 ruling that declared unconstitutional Minnesota's requirement that judicial candidates couldn't discuss political issues. One of the main results of that ruling has been further legal action.

But former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Magnuson, an advocate for judicial independence, said the Eighth Circuit got the decision right. He says judges shouldn't run on political platforms.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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