Corporate money has been pouring in at unprecedented levels to dominate judicial election spending
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.
How Citizens United Made Buying Judges Possible
Buying judges is a real problem as election campaign fundraising creates clear conflicts of interest
Hawaii Judicial Retention System is Model For Nation
Brennan Center study finds much to praise in the Hawaii judicial retention system for nation in crisis
Big Business Builds Influence in State Supreme Courts With Donations
Corporate campaign donations are having a noticeable impact on political balance in many state Supreme Courts
Remove Money and Political Labels From Texas Court Elections
Waves of cash donations and prominent display of political party affiliation are harming Texas court elections
Heightened Outside Spending Threatening Judicial Elections
Problem becomes crisis as massive donations are threatening judicial elections by skewing results
AUDIO: Smoke-Filled Rooms Rule New York Judicial Elections
The process for picking judges is broken thanks to weak system that governs New York judicial elections
Ballot Access Trouble For Ohio Independent Judicial Candidates
Prospective judge sues over Ohio independent judicial candidates finding it impossible to appear on ballot
Latinos Question Fairness of Texan Judicial Voting Methods
At-large system for Texan judicial voting could be replaced with one that elects judges by single-member geographic districts
Big Money is Making State Court Judges More Partisan
State court judges across the country are being influenced by influx of election campaign donation money