At protests across the country Occupiers fought back against a political system that too often looks out for their 1% campaign donors, the supercommittee made influencing-peddling easier for special interests, and the Supreme Court once again sided with big money. Those events and more make up our 2011 list of top money-in-politics stories. 

Check out the full list and if you have your own suggestions for items we left off, leave them in the comments below.

1. Occupy’s Message Delivered

Fierce Clean Elections opponent, Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce (R), was handily defeated in his recall election last night. The Huffington Post reported on the news last night. Pearce opponent, Jerry Lewis "won with roughly 54 percent of the vote," state officials announced on Tuesday evening.

A recap of Public Campaign and Public Campaign Action Fund's (PCAF) work from October 31 through November 4, 2011.

Here's a recap of Public Campaign and Public Campaign Action Fund's (PCAF) work from October 24 through October 28, 2011.

Facing a recall election, Arizona state Senate President Russell Pearce (R) is being targeted by Public Campaign Action Fund with a political mailer for accepting trips and contributions from an organization accused of illegal behavior.

On Friday supporters of the Arizona Clean Elections law filed a lawsuit to block a Clean Elections repeal measure from reaching the ballot. The East Valley Tribune covered the suit, as did The Arizona Republic.

Last night, the Arizona state legislature voted to send to the ballot a measure that would repeal the popular and successful Clean Elections law, which voters passed at the ballot in 1998. Opponents of the law, backed by wealthy special interests determined to return to calling the shots in the state Capitol, were finally able to pass a repeal measure after years of trying.

Arizona Speaker of the House Kirk Adams, who recently had to pay back money for legally tenuous free trips he got from the Fiesta Bowl, is doing all he can to pass legislation that would send a repeal of the state's Clean Elections system to the ballot--something that would be a victory for the special interests in the state.

For years the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona has rewarded student athletes for their accomplishments on the football field. But now, an internal investigative report of the Fiesta Bowl’s activities has uncovered various violations of campaign finance and tax law, inlcuded among them, "rewards" for local politicians.

By: David Donnelly and Adam Smith

Whether it was apologizing to BP, the Fair Elections Now Act passing out of a U.S. House committee, or the Supreme Court declaring that corporations were people when it comes to spending money in elections, 2010 was a big year for news about money in the political process. Here's our top ten list. Leave your suggestions in the comments.