Litigation

Election Articles Cite Justice at Stake

By Peter Hardin

Election 2010 is over, but research and analysis from the Justice at Stake Campaign on judicial campaign spending still is informing widespread news coverage.

An ABA Journal article about this year’s contentious retention elections relied on Justice at Stake for the fact that spending in these contests reached $4.6 million, more than double the $2.2 million raised for all retention elections in the decade from 2000 to 2009.

The article also quoted Bert Brandenburg, JAS executive director, criticizing nasty TV ads aired against Illinois Justice Thomas Kilbride. Brandenburg said:

?In Illinois, special-interest money bought one of the most tasteless TV ads [that] ever appeared in a court election, while a sitting justice raised millions of dollars from plaintiffs? lawyers and other parties who will appear in court.”

The Iowa spending figures also were used for a Law Week Colorado article and a Sioux City (Iowa) Journal/Cedar Rapids Gazette article.

Full post as published by The Gavel on November 05, 2010 (boomark / email).