Members of Congress aren’t the only ones sweating about their prospects in November. An unprecedented number of incumbent state judges are facing a flood of special interest dollars aiming to kick them off the bench. Money-drenched judicial elections undermine fair and impartial courts: The justice system suffers when judges are afraid that a bang of the gavel might unleash a barrage of negative attack ads or when they make decisions with any eye on their campaign coffers instead of by applying the law to the facts of a case.
But it is increasingly difficult for judges to resist campaign pressures. A comprehensive report on campaign spending in judicial elections released in mid-August showed that, from 2000 to 2009, judicial candidates raised about $206.9 million — more than twice the $83 million raised in the 1990s. The lion’s share of this cash — 99% — poured into the war chests of judicial candidates facing off against opponents in contested elections
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