The Brennan Center for Justice, the National Institute on Money in State Politics and the Justice at Stake Campaign released a report today showing that spending on state judicial races is increasing dramatically - $207 million in the last decade. The report highlights the spending on key races in several states. Among them is Minnesota.
The report finds that Minnesota was ranked 19th in spending on judicial races across the country between 2000-2009. The top spender was Alabama.
The report found that Minnesota is one of only two states that didn't have TV ads running during a competitive judicial election. But several groups have warned that they expect that to change in coming years. A constitutional amendment to change how judges are elected stalled in the Legislature last session.
The feature examines statements made by Minnesota politicians and checks them for accuracy. Based on data analysis, document reviews and interviews with non-partisan analysts, statements are rated either true, false or inconclusive. PoliGraph is a collaboration between Minnesota Public Radio News and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
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