Thirty million dollars and counting has poured into the campaign for a swing seat on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, with TV ads swamping the airwaves.
Judicial Elections articles on Democracy Chronicles
Judicial elections in the United States have undergone a dramatic transformation recently. Today, partisan political groups are spending big money to elect their favorite judges raising serious issues of independence, integrity and impartiality. The possibility of corrupt and even secretive influence bought by funding candidates for the bench raises serious concern. While it is possible that the use of judicial elections may be a workable system for selecting judges, the threat of turning judges into politicians remains evident. Also see our section on American democracy and our Supreme Court articles.
Indiana Voters Can Remove 60% Of The Supreme Court
The 2024 Indiana election could remove 60% of the state’s justices, including Rush who’s violated property and human rights.
How Did State Supreme Court Races Get So Expensive?
Politicos have increasingly realized that state supreme court elections can be just as important as executive or legislative elections.
On Gerrymandering And Judicial Democracy
I am against gerrymandering and want to see every instance of it abolished so Americans have more equality and power when they vote.
The Politics Of Judicial Elections
Special interests are spending more than ever on state high court races. This is not without cause and deep implications for democracy.
Reform Of Elections For Swiss Top Judges Thrown Out
A plan to elect supreme court judges by lot rather than by the Swiss parliament was rejected by voters in all 26 Cantons of the country.
Study Estimating Judicial Ideology Finds Rise in Polarization
Reviewing the substantial literature on estimating judicial ideology, from the US Supreme Court to the lowest state court.
SolarWinds Hack May be Big Setback to Judicial Transparency
The vulnerability in SolarWinds resulted in an “apparent compromise” of “highly sensitive non-public documents,” such as sealed filings.
Why Official Records Must be Made Public for Elected Prosecutors
America’s locally elected prosecutors have authority to reinforce mass incarceration and racial disparities incriminal legal system.
Dark Money Dominating State Supreme Court Races
Outside groups continue to pour money into state supreme court campaigns, television advertising spending so far totaling $5 million this election season.