The Marshall Project

“Law and Order” Still Reigns in State Supreme Court Elections

A Nevada state supreme court candidate was one of very few nationwide to run on a message of reform. Most campaigns leaned on “tough on crime” strategy yet again.

The campaign ad starts in a familiar way: grainy, black-and-white images set to ominous music, then a flash of bright red text. But the 30-second TV spot, paid for by Nevada state supreme court candidate Ozzie Fumo, a defense attorney and state assemblyman, is anything but ordinary.

“Doug Herndon committed prosecution misconduct,” the narrator alleges of Fumo’s opponent. “He hid evidence that caused an innocent man to spend 22 years in jail.” The ad focuses on Herndon’s role in , who was wrongly convicted of murder despite evidence

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