Money, Politics and State Courts

Fair and impartial state courts play a vital role in our democracy, but a rising tide of high stakes campaigns featuring massive campaign contributions and contentious politics pose a threat to them. The Brennan Center's Alicia Bannon discussed findings on campaign contributions and political tactics in the 2012 election cycle from The New Politics of Judicial Elections. Former Justice James Nelson talked about his experiences as a member of the Montana Supreme Court and his views on the current state of judicial elections. And Emory University's Joanna Shepherd discussed the findings of ACS's own Justice At Risk report on the relationship between campaign contributions by special interests and judicial decisions in cases involving those interests.