Toolbox Talk: Electing Judges

UPDATED MARCH 2ND 2020: Here’s a link to the LA BAR’s 2020 recommendations.

If you’re in the US, odds are good you’ll be voting for a judge or six this November. It’s hard, and _really_ different from electing a representative or executive.

So how the heck do you do it? How do you judge your potential judges? If you want to be a responsible citizen, you gotta give this one a listen.

Sources:

Making decisions

• Choose your judges:

  • http://chooseyourjudges.org/commentaries/what-information-should-voters-use-when-choosing-judges/

  • “Choose Your Judges is a non-partisan organization dedicated to increasing voter awareness in judicial elections.”

• LA County bar association recommendations: http://www.lacba.org/docs/default-source/jeec-reports/jeec-report-2016.pdf

• http://www.calbar.ca.gov/

• http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-judicial-endorsements-20160428-story.html

• http://www.calbar.ca.gov/

More background on electing judges

• http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/migrated/leadership/fact_sheet.authcheckdam.pdf

• http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/24/us/24judges.html

• http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21613276-theyre-not-politicians-so-they-shouldnt-act-them-trouble-electing-judges

• https://ballotpedia.org/Partisan_election_of_judges

• http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/09/an-elected-judge-speaks-out-against-judicial-elections/279263/

http://www.justiceatstake.org/issues/state_court_issues/election-vs-appointment/

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