Recently I've been asked repeatedly, "How can I find out who has contributed to a judge's campaign?" It is really quite easy here in Clark County. Here is the link to the Campaign Contribution Report website maintained by Clark County (in case the link does not work, cut and paste: http://redrock.co.clark.nv.us/campaignfinance/ReportSearch.aspx?Disp=Contest+Name ).
There is a lot of useful information filed by the Judges. The only problem . . . they are only reports, no proof
of the transactions are submitted. So, the report is basically 'on their honor', which we KNOW is perfectly true. Then, you also have the competing factor of donors contributing through companies, friends, family, etc. It is really impossible to track all payments back to the true source of that payment. While the vast majority are likely legitimate, it is tough to 'break the case', unless you already know connections and inside information. You can make guesses and conjecture, but you NEVER REALLY know who gave the money. However, you will see that many litigators are on the lists, along with many entities that are often involved in lawsuits (e.g. big casinos). Often, money is shuffled from judge-to-judge, as well.
of the transactions are submitted. So, the report is basically 'on their honor', which we KNOW is perfectly true. Then, you also have the competing factor of donors contributing through companies, friends, family, etc. It is really impossible to track all payments back to the true source of that payment. While the vast majority are likely legitimate, it is tough to 'break the case', unless you already know connections and inside information. You can make guesses and conjecture, but you NEVER REALLY know who gave the money. However, you will see that many litigators are on the lists, along with many entities that are often involved in lawsuits (e.g. big casinos). Often, money is shuffled from judge-to-judge, as well.It can be tedious to get all of the reports together, as you can only look at each office, per year, per quarterly filing and only in PDF format. However, if you take the time, the reports are revealing and are a good source of information. It really is the first place you should be going as a litigation attorney in this jurisdiction. You need to know if (and how much) your opponent is donating to the judge, if (and how much) the opposing client is donating or if there is anything suspicious occurring. It is doubtful that you will ever be able to do anything about, though, so don't get your hopes up. However, you can learn what you are up against and gain a better understanding of when to counsel your clients to simply pay the money to strike the judge.
Here is an example of what you can get about a Judge's campaign who really can bring in the money . . . likely because of her father. But nonetheless, she can raise money:
I'm not suggesting anything is out of order here, this is just an example that has some meat. You can draw your own conclusions. Sometimes it is just interesting to see the sources of funding and where the money goes. These accounting reports, generally, surely don't require much by way of 'to the penny' accounting. In fact, it has been said in the halls of the Courthouse that these lists are kept pretty handy by various judges in deciding on who to go easy and on who to go tough. Most things I've seen downtown seem to support this rumor. Try getting a Motion for Summary Judgment granted or an expert stricken against an attorney that donates $5,000 to any campaign . . . fat chance.
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