Gavel Grab: “In the run-up to the November elections, Justice at Stake and the Brennan Center for Justice reported on Thursday that changing spending patterns in judicial elections may signal a new phase in the hard-fought battle to influence the nation’s state courts. While court candidates  spent more than $4.6 million in TV advertisements during the primary season, some states could actually see reduced spending due to the cumulative effects of a decade of record-setting spending, the groups said in a press release.”