Who Judges the Judges? I do! (....maybe?)
October 15, 2016 6:11 PM Subscribe
I just got my mail-in ballot, here in Maricopa County, AZ. (Woohoo, democracy!) I see there are 43 judges listed, and I get to vote whether or not to retain each one of them... But how can I learn which way to vote for each one?
I feel like this is a pretty important aspect of my vote--I mean, judges have an incredible amount of power in the local sphere, don't they? But I don't know who any of these judges are. I've tried doing some searching, but I haven't found any real clearing house of information regarding each individual's judges rulings, etc... I feel uninformed, but I don't want to be.
Can anyone point me to good resources for learning about these judges? Are there specific judges who have been the subject of controversy, and thus deserve closer scrutiny? Should I base my vote on who first appointed each judge (whether democrat or republican, for instance), or some other measure?
...Or am I wrong about the significance of this aspect of the ballot, and should I just abstain?
I feel like this is a pretty important aspect of my vote--I mean, judges have an incredible amount of power in the local sphere, don't they? But I don't know who any of these judges are. I've tried doing some searching, but I haven't found any real clearing house of information regarding each individual's judges rulings, etc... I feel uninformed, but I don't want to be.
Can anyone point me to good resources for learning about these judges? Are there specific judges who have been the subject of controversy, and thus deserve closer scrutiny? Should I base my vote on who first appointed each judge (whether democrat or republican, for instance), or some other measure?
...Or am I wrong about the significance of this aspect of the ballot, and should I just abstain?
Usually the local bar associations will make recommendations.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 6:49 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by jeweled accumulation at 6:49 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
For me, it's about how long they spent as prosecutors. Judges who have no experience on the defence side are often hugely biased towards the prosecution, which doesn't need any extra bias.
posted by guster4lovers at 6:57 PM on October 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by guster4lovers at 6:57 PM on October 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
If you're comfortable being a straight-party voter, then your county party will have its preferred slate for judicial elections. Otherwise, go with the endorsements of an org you trust.
Some states also issue voter guides for non-partisan judicial elections with a paragraph blurb from each candidate. I'm not sure if AZ is one of those states. If there is one, there's a coded language that you'll pick up on fast.
posted by holgate at 7:03 PM on October 15, 2016
Some states also issue voter guides for non-partisan judicial elections with a paragraph blurb from each candidate. I'm not sure if AZ is one of those states. If there is one, there's a coded language that you'll pick up on fast.
posted by holgate at 7:03 PM on October 15, 2016
In a lot of localities, the League of Women Voters will gather information and statements from all candidates, regardless of party affiliation. Don't specifically know if they cover races in Maricopa, but that's another source you could check.
posted by easily confused at 7:31 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by easily confused at 7:31 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Can anyone point me to good resources for learning about these judges? Are there specific judges who have been the subject of controversy, and thus deserve closer scrutiny? Should I base my vote on who first appointed each judge (whether democrat or republican, for instance), or some other measure?
IAAL in Florida, where judicial elections are not partisan, thankfully. There are good judges that Rick Scott (evil Republican Florida governor) appointed, and bad judges that he appointed, so I wouldn't use that as a rule of thumb for determining whether to retain a particular judge. Our local bar association does an annual survey of all members where we can rate each judge on their knowledge of the law, temperament, demeanor, etc. The judges who are objectively amazing always rank significantly higher, there is a large pack in the middle who are basically just fine, who fall into a "the devil you know is better than the one you don't" category, and then there are the ones who are awful who are consistently rated badly. Those are the ones who I vote against if they have an opponent. Our local newspaper also writes detailed endorsements for contested judicial elections; the endorsements are usually heavily informed by the bar association's survey but also take into account any weird news things that have been publicized.
If you know a lawyer, you can ask what they think. Acquaintances, friends, and family ask me about judicial elections all the time and I don't mind a bit. I think most lawyers appreciate the fact that the average citizen has had no involvement with the judicial system and thus has no personal reason to be informed on this topic, but it is extremely important to us professionally so we are happy to talk.
posted by gatorae at 7:32 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
IAAL in Florida, where judicial elections are not partisan, thankfully. There are good judges that Rick Scott (evil Republican Florida governor) appointed, and bad judges that he appointed, so I wouldn't use that as a rule of thumb for determining whether to retain a particular judge. Our local bar association does an annual survey of all members where we can rate each judge on their knowledge of the law, temperament, demeanor, etc. The judges who are objectively amazing always rank significantly higher, there is a large pack in the middle who are basically just fine, who fall into a "the devil you know is better than the one you don't" category, and then there are the ones who are awful who are consistently rated badly. Those are the ones who I vote against if they have an opponent. Our local newspaper also writes detailed endorsements for contested judicial elections; the endorsements are usually heavily informed by the bar association's survey but also take into account any weird news things that have been publicized.
If you know a lawyer, you can ask what they think. Acquaintances, friends, and family ask me about judicial elections all the time and I don't mind a bit. I think most lawyers appreciate the fact that the average citizen has had no involvement with the judicial system and thus has no personal reason to be informed on this topic, but it is extremely important to us professionally so we are happy to talk.
posted by gatorae at 7:32 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
AZ Commission on Judicial Performance Review has recommendations based on stakeholder surveys.
posted by audi alteram partem at 8:20 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by audi alteram partem at 8:20 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I look for the endorsement of the local Democratic Party as well as the endorsement of the local major paper. That usually lets me narrow the choice down to a couple. Then I go to their sites.
posted by persona au gratin at 12:27 AM on October 16, 2016
posted by persona au gratin at 12:27 AM on October 16, 2016
Does the League of Women's Voters have a guide for your area? I've always found their information very helpful.
posted by fshgrl at 1:16 AM on October 16, 2016
posted by fshgrl at 1:16 AM on October 16, 2016
The AZ Commission has recommended only one of the judges on the ballot be not reelected (Jo Lynn Gentry). You can go to their website to determine why they decided she needs to go.
posted by nubianinthedesert at 12:10 PM on October 19, 2016
posted by nubianinthedesert at 12:10 PM on October 19, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by OrangeDisk at 6:18 PM on October 15, 2016 [4 favorites]