"Dark Money and Hardball Politics Turning State Judicial Campaigns Into Auctions"-- Brennan Center

[KoKo]

“Special interest groups continue to dump money into state Supreme Court races in an attempt to stack the deck in their favor.

WASHINGTON - With less than two weeks to November 4th, political parties, outside groups, and state Supreme Court candidates have spent more than $9.1 million on TV ads this election cycle, including primaries and off cycle elections, according to FCC filings, campaign financial disclosures, and estimates from Kantar Media/CMAG analyzed by the Brennan Center for Justice and Justice at Stake. For just the general election, TV ad spending for state Supreme Court races totals more than $6.1 million.

“This high level of spending is consistent with the spending we saw in 2010 midterm judicial races,” said Alicia Bannon, Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice. “Special interest groups continue to dump money into state Supreme Court races in an attempt to stack the deck in their favor. Voters should feel like our courts are fair and impartial, not political playgrounds where business interests and lawyers can tilt the scales of justice with their pocketbooks.”

“Once again, large sums are being spent to buy up courts,” said Executive Director Bert Brandenburg of Justice at Stake, a nonpartisan organization that tracks money and politics in judicial elections. “Dark money and hardball politics are turning judicial campaigns into auctions, and judges are trapped in the middle, pressured to answer to donors and supporters who appear before them in court. Every state that elects judges needs to take steps to keep cash out of the courtroom.”

Although TV ad spending will increase dramatically in the remaining days before Election Day, activity in several states stands out:

LIST OF STATES AT:

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2014/10/24/tv-ad-spending-judicial-races-surpasses-91-million

------------

The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law is a non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on fundamental issues of democracy and justice. Our work ranges from voting rights to redistricting reform, from access to the courts to presidential power in the fight against terrorism.