All the justice money can buy

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The just-completed race to fill three seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court drew a national-record $15.8 million dollars in special-interest political campaign cash — a total that likely will eclipse $16 million by the time all spending is reported. It’s all completely legal thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, and offers an excellent argument in favor of merit selection of state judges. No method of filling judicial positions is perfect, of course, and allowing the state’s woe-begotten legislature to make these appointments is problematic at best. Still, it’s preferable to allowing anonymous donors to pour millions into what really should not be a partisan office.
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