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Judges and Judiciary

Sep. 12, 2024

The case for reforming judicial elections in California

The current methods of filling judicial benches through costly elections with low voter turnout or appointment by the governor followed by an election are not effective at placing the best candidates on the bench. The sooner we eliminate judicial elections and develop a better alternative, the better.

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The ideal judge has an unwavering commitment to fairness, impartiality, and justice. Yet to fill its benches the state potentially relies on two methods: either through costly elections that routinely suffer from low voter turnout, or appointment by the governor (which are followed by an election at the end of the judicial term in either case.) Fortunately, most appointed judges do not face a contested election at the end of their judicial term and ultimately run u...

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