,,The New Politics of Judicial Elections: How 2000 Was A Watershed Year for Big Money, Special Interest Pressure, and TV Advertising in State Supreme Court Campaigns

The New Politics of Judicial Elections: How 2000 Was A Watershed Year for Big Money, Special Interest Pressure, and TV Advertising in State Supreme Court Campaigns


 

Publication Date: February 2002

Publisher: Brennan Center for Justice; National Institute on Money in State Politics (U.S.); Justice at Stake Campaign

Author(s): Craig Holman; Deborah Goldberg; Samantha Sanchez

Research Area: Justice; Politics

Type: Report

Abstract:

The 2000 elections proved to be a watershed for big money, special interest pressure and TV advertising in state Supreme Court campaigns. This first-ever, national statistical survey of judicial elections shows that contributions to judicial candidates increased 61 percent in just one election cycle, from 1998 to 2000. The study also analyzes the role of "issue ads" in judicial elections, a technique increasingly used by interest groups to influence the public debate around judicial elections.