Buy a judge? or their courtroom decisions?

NPR coverage detailing the increasing investments and competitiveness of winning the judiciary, based on a report from non-partisan group, Justice at Stake. Their 2006 report , along with a nod to a Zogby survey of business leaders, in which 79% believe that “campaign contributions made to judges have at least some influence on their decisions in the courtroom.”

As for the NPR summary, it states:

… Documenting the increasing influence of money in judicial elections, the report shows fundraising by state supreme court candidates rose in 2006, with the median being close to $250,000 per candidate. The high-water mark came in Alabama, where the total price tag for the race for chief justice was $8.2 million.

TV ads ran in 10 or the 11 states where state supreme court judges were up for election, compared to just four states out of 18 six years earlier. Average television spending hit a new record at $1.6 million per state. And business interests outspent everyone else combined — by a 2-to-1 margin.