Interest groups flex clout in judicial elections

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A report by a nonpartisan institute says interest groups are exerting more influence in state judicial elections and could undermine the impartiality of judges.

Political parties and advocacy groups dedicated $11.5 million to independent expenditures in the 2009-2010 judicial elections. That represents 30 percent of overall spending on those elections, a big jump from four years ago.

The report from the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law says that growth helps explain the nasty tone of some judicial elections.

The center finds that while candidates ran mostly positive advertisements, interest groups accounted for three out of every four attack ads.

The report concludes that interest groups are attempting to intimidate judges. Skeptics say that campaigning in judicial races is democracy at work, not intimidation.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2011-10-27-Judicial%20Elections-Interest%20Groups/id-ee6ec58703e043a497349b2acf3a4582

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