The Controversy Over Electing Judges and Advocacy in Political Science

Abstract

This essay briefly discusses the factual inaccuracies and conceptual muddle driving the movement to end the election of judges, and argues for the importance of advocacy from political scientists to balance the current doomsday rhetoric and provide a more informed and empirically grounded basis upon which to build discussions of judicial selection. The essay also provides three examples where additional study would provide considerable insight into the practice of electing judges and would likely support the efficacy of democratic processes.

Keywords: judicial elections, accountability, judicial reform, state courts, state supreme courts, state politics

JEL Classification: cmbo