judgesonmerit.org

An editorial in the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era “salute[s] the effort” to bring Merit Selection to the Pennsylvania appellate courts.  The editorial quotes former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s ongoing support of Merit Selection and notes: “O’Connor may be on to something. The current system – in Pennsylvania, anyway – is deeply flawed.”

The editorial enumerates several drawbacks to electing judges: campaign contributions from litigants and lawyers, the difficulty voters have in getting relevant information about the candidates and the consequent reliance on “superficial elements, such as ballot position, party affiliation, gender or home town, in deciding whom to vote for.”  Then comes the kicker, “Most of all, though, it’s about the money.”

Money and judicial selection just shouldn’t mix.  We need to get judges out of the fundraising business. Merit Selection is the system that can accomplish this.

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