Public Financing of Judicial Elections

Once the sleepy backwater of electoral politics, judicial elections have recently become a battleground where right wing and corporate groups spend large sums to fill the courts with jurists who will support their interests.  This is perhaps the most troubling example of money corrupting our politics, because instead of pay-to-play politics it gives us pay-to-win justice.  The independence of the judiciary simply cannot be maintained in an environment where jurists are competing for votes in high-priced, bare-knuckle political brawls.  

Those closest to the process are the most aware of the problems that have infused judicial elections.  The American Bar Association itself has endorsed public financing of judicial campaigns. Increasingly, judges are following suit and suggesting a variety of ways to get the money out of judicial politics, including public financing.  The group that is leading the effort to reform judicial elections is the Justice at Stake Campaign.  Much of the information contained in this section is derived from their reports, and legislators and advocates looking to bolster judicial independence in their states will find their resources and assistance invaluable.