judgesonmerit.org

An editorial in The Tuscaloosa News reminds us that multi-million dollar judicial elections have a corrosive effect on the courts and negatively influence public perception. Alabama has endured some of the country’s costliest judicial elections, with tremendous amounts of money from business interests being poured into various judges’ campaigns. However, there is a growing awareness of and frustration with a court under the influence of big money. In short, “reform is needed:”

To a person, elected jurists say that campaign contributions play no role in their decision-making. But as one noted judge said, trying to ignore big money in judicial elections is like trying to ignore the crocodile in your bath tub.

Merit Selection, on the other hand, takes the crocodile out of the tub. It eliminates the need for candidates to raise campaign money, and allows them to run based on their legal experience and knowledge of the law. We hope that Pennsylvania will soon be able to avoid the mess created by judicial elections and adopt Merit Selection for its appellate courts.

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