judgesonmerit.org

The Birmingham News reports that the 2008 Alabama Supreme Court race was the most expensive high court election last year.  The two candidates and third party groups spent a combined total of $5.3 million:

Total candidate spending was nearly $4.3 million – $2.5 million by [Deborah Bell] Paseur and $1.8 million by [Greg] Shaw, according to state campaign disclosures, including final accountings filed this week. Third-party groups spent at least $1 million more.

During the 2007 Pennsylvania elections, four candidates running for two spots on the Supreme Court raised a total of $7,846,478.  This does not include third party spending.  And, an out of state group active in Alabama this year, the Virginia-based Center for Individual Freedom, spent more than one million dollars on ads supporting one candidate.

What does all this mean for Pennsylvania in 2009?  We are electing one Supreme Court justice and five more judges for the intermediate appellate courts.  Will we be setting yet new records in the fundraising and spending games? Time will tell, and we’ll keep you posted.