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The Buffalo News explains "how judicial elections, specifically State Supreme Court, are financed in New York state." The newspaper found that "judges and judicial candidates in the eighth judicial district in Western New York were forced to take part in an election system that turned them into fundraisers for the major political parties. Even those candidates who were cross-endorsed by the major parties, who had no election opponents, raised money that was then donated to various candidates for office. This occured despite a ban on judges making direct political donations. A loophole allowing judges to buy tickets to political events was used, with tickets costing as much as $1,000. And most of the money was raised from attorneys, who one day might appear before these very judges."