Skewed Justice - Money's Influence on State Courts

The explosion in spending on television attack advertisements in state supreme court elections accelerated by the Citizens United decision has made courts less likely to rule in favor of defendants in criminal appeals. That’s according to new independent research  sponsored by ACS. State supreme court justices, already the targets of sensationalist ads labeling them “soft on crime,” are under increasing pressure to allow electoral politics to influence their decisions, even when fundamental rights are at stake. Skewed Justice: Citizens United, Television Advertising, and State Supreme Court Justices’ Decisions in Criminal Cases, by Dr. Joanna Shepherd and Dr. Michael S. Kang, both law professors at Emory University, reveals how campaign spending can skew justice throughout the country.