The Price of Electing Judges

The New York Times had an interesting editorial yesterday about how judicial elections in the United States are becoming more and more expensive. The Times says:

This year’s round of state judicial elections broke previous records for the amounts spent on judicial campaigns around the country. The dominant role played by special-interest money — including money from super PACs financed by undisclosed donors — has severely weakened the principle of fair and impartial courts.

The editorial goes on by citing Florida and my home state of Michigan as extreme of examples of campaign spending on judicial elections gone out of control.