judgesonmerit.org

The Allentown Morning Call reports that in the midst of this year’s judicial elections, Merit Selection is on the legislative agenda.  State Senator Jane Earll (R, Erie) and State Representative Josh Shapiro (D, Montgomery), sponsors of last year’s Merit Selection legislation, confirmed that Merit Selection legislation will be introduced into the legislature this session.

The push for reform targets inherent problems in the judicial election process:

[R]eformers say that forcing judicial candidates to behave like politicians fosters the impression that campaign donors might get a fairer shake in the courtroom.

That’s because that clutch of potential donors that [candidates] touted to Democrats [at last week's endorsement meeting] are fellow attorneys and potential litigants who may one day have business before them.

PMC’s Shira Goodman explained why reform is needed:  “[The electoral] process does not do anything to raise the public’s trust [in the judicial system].”

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