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Voting Against Judicial Independence: The 2010 Elections and The Threat to the Judiciary
By Patrick Veasy
Campaigns to secure or retain political office are a regular part of a
career dedicated to public service. Raising money, debating issues, and
responding to attack ads are also routine parts of the election process.
The 2010 election cycle proved no different for many incumbents and
challengers, resulting in a new majority in the U.S. House of
Representatives. Once the dust settled, election results offered more of
a wake-up call to some than to others. But if there is one important
characteristic about the past few American election cycles, it is the
ever-increasing influence of money in campaigns. What is particularly
disconcerting is that the influence of money and attack ads is
dramatically threatening the impartiality of America’s judicial system.
As a consequence of last term’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens
United v. Federal Election Commission,1 bans on third-party spending in
elections by corporations and unions ended, resulting in another a
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