Litigation

?New Politics? Report Delivered to Diverse Audiences

By Peter Hardin

Readers around the country continue to learn about the first-ever analysis of judicial election spending over the past decade, co-authored by the Justice at Stake Campaign, from articles in both general and law-focused publications.

The report is entitled ?The New Politics of Judicial Elections 2000-2009: Decade of Change.? The other co-authors were the Brennan Center for Justice, the National Institute on Money in State Politics and Hofstra University law professor James Sample.

The National Law Journal has published an opinion piece drawing on the report, and written by Susan Liss and Adam Skaggs of the Brennan Center. Their commentary is entitled, “Is justice for sale?” A highlighted theme: “This year, as special interests mobilize, they are targeting previously sedate judicial retention elections in addition to contested races.”

The same “Is Justice for Sale” headline accompanies an article in The Florida Bar News. Here, however, a sub-headline resolutely answers, “Fortunately, not in the State of Florida,” and the article draws on data from the “New Politics” report for its good-news story. It also quotes Charlie Hall, communications director for Justice at Stake, as saying:

“Florida is very fortunate. Florida was hit by hurricanes, but not by the tidal wave of special interests that are flooding so many judicial elections in America….Really and truly, Florida was a safe haven when special interest money was swamping other states.”

Meanwhile the Willoughby News-Herald in Ohio published an editorial based on the report and urging, “Remove rampant spending from races.”

The report showed that high court candidates raised $206.9 million in 2000-2009, more than double the $83.3 million raised in the 1990s. To learn more, see Justice at Stake?s online resource page, or see this earlier Gavel Grab posting.

Full post as published by The Gavel on September 07, 2010 (boomark / email).