judgesonmerit.org

Last night, PMC Executive Director Lynn Marks was interviewed on Philadelphia’s Fox 29 about the upcoming judicial elections.  Introducing the story, reporter Bruce Gordon explained that Pennsylvania is one of just six states that elects all judges in partisan elections and noted the “system is all too heavily influenced by luck and money.”  He was referring to the all important-ballot position — a randomly selected placement of a candidate’s name on the ballot that is very often a major predictor of success in judicial elections.

He then asked Marks about the role of money in judicial elections.  Marks talked about the public’s concern about the influence of campaign contributions on judicial decision-making, noting: “[The candidates] need money, and where does that money come from?”  She spoke about the fact that lawyers, lawfirms and entities that frequently litigate in the state courts have traditionally been the biggest contributors to judicial campaigns.

Marks summed up the problem like this: “People should be concerned about who sits on the bench and how they get there.  The system we have in Pennsylvania is not designed to get the most qualifed, fair and impartial people on the bench.”

Of course, she’s right, and that’s why we need to implement a Merit Selection system for the appellate courts.

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