Litigation

The $45 Million Hoax Takes In Glenn Beck

By Charlie Hall

In September, the American Justice Partnership–a leading national spender on judicial elections –released a report laying out a grand conspiracy theory: that the Open Society Institute has spent $45 million to end competitive judicial elections in the United States.

The number is bogus, but a few commentators have been taken in.  (The Wall Street Journal printed our correction this week.)  The most recent victim is Glenn Beck at Fox News.  During a commentary this week on the elections, Beck said:

In Nevada, they’re voting on judicial reform to have the judges appointed by governors. No.
How do I know no? Well, if you’re in Nevada, did you know the initiative is being funded by George Soros? Yes! Through groups like Justice at Stake. Soros’ Open Society Institute has spent some $45 million on this cause nationwide. Why? Why would he want this?

The number is not even close to true.   Of the amount reported by AJP, at most $2.6 million has gone to groups that actively favor merit selection over other systems?5 percent of the total they claim.  Even by AJP?s own accounting, almost two-thirds of the $45 million went to groups that have no position on merit selection, including many who don?t even work on judicial selection reform at all.  Much of the rest went to groups like Justice at Stake, which support a broad menu of reforms, like public financing, to cut the influence of special interest money within existing judicial elections.

See our earlier analysis of AJP’s $45 million hoax, and JAS’s position on judicial elections vs. appointments.  Journalists should beware of parroting the AJP’s bogus number.

Full post as published by The Gavel on November 02, 2010 (boomark / email).