Campaign fundraising for elections to the top state courts has doubled to more than $200 million over the past decade, fueled partly by high-spending individuals and groups investing to influence down-ticket races, according to a study released today.
Between 2000 and 2009, campaign spending for state Supreme Court posts surged to $206.9 million, compared with $83.3 million in the previous decade, the report showed. It also found 20 of the 22 states with Supreme Court contests had their costliest-ever campaigns.
The report was prepared by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, the nonpartisan organization Justice at Stake in Washington and the National Institute on Money in State Politics, based in Helena, Mont. The groups are worried about the amount of money being spent but do not favor a particular alternative.
