Group Wants Investigation of Campaign Contributions to Ala. Vioxx Judge

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A public interest group in Washington has petitioned Alabama's judicial ethics commission seeking to disqualify the judge overseeing a highly publicized Vioxx case after it was reported that the judge received $60,000 in campaign contributions from the firm representing the plaintiff in the case. In Re: Amended Complaint Against Judge John E. Rochester, Circuit Judge of the 40th Judicial District, No. n/a (Ala. Jud. Inq. Comm.).

In a 29-page complaint filed June 24, the Washington Legal Foundation contends that the donations received by Clay County Circuit Court Judge John E. Rochester during his 2004 state Supreme Court …