Interest groups and political parties in the U.S. are currently spending millions of dollars in a battle to win control of Congress. And now those groups are targeting another, less noticeable group as well — state courts.
Spending on state Supreme Court elections has more than doubled over the course of the last ten years, increasing from $83 million in the 1990’s to close to $207 million in the 2000’s. This could potentially undermine the independence of the nation’s court system.
PBS reports:
“Much of the money spent on state judicial campaigns comes from a select group of ‘super spenders,’ including major national corporations, labor unions and plaintiffs’ attorneys. Those groups have sparred repeatedly over the issue of tort reform, which is likely to be shaped in state courts rather than at the federal level ... social issues may play a role as well”.