The New Politics of Judicial Elections 2009-10

Nearly 40 percent of all campaign cash in 2009-10 came from 10 organizations

A report released by Justice at Stake and supported by The Joyce Foundation’s Money and Politics Program found that non-candidate spending in state high court elections nearly doubled as a share of total costs in 2009-10, compared to the previous off-year election. The report, The New Politics of Judicial Elections 2009-10, also found that the rise in non-candidate TV advertising made the election cycle the costliest non-presidential election cycle ever for TV spending in judicial elections.

Other findings include:

• Nearly one-third of all funds spent on state high court elections came from non-candidate groups ($11.5 million out of $38 million in 2009-10).
• Nearly 40 percent of all funds spent on state high court races came from just 10 groups, including national special interest groups and political parties.
• Though outside groups paid for only 40 percent of total ads, they were responsible for 3 in 4 attack ads.

The report is just the latest in a series that has monitored spending in judicial campaigns. Since 2000, Justice at Stake reports, spending on state high court elections has more than doubled, increasing from $83.3 million in 1990-1999 to $206.9 million in 2000-2009.

Download the report.