Judicial Selection in the States

Erscheinungsjahr 2020
ISBN: 978-1-108-49633-9
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 350 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 703 g

Using detailed case studies of the relevant US states, Herbert Kritzer provides an unprecedented examination of the process and politics of how states select and retain judges. The book is organized around the competing goals of politics and professionalism, namely whether the focus in choosing judges should be on future judicial decisions (court outputs) or on the court processes by which those decisions are reached. Or, in considering who should be a judge, whether the emphasis should be on political credentials or on professional credentials. One important finding is that political concerns have surpassed professionalism concerns since 2000. Another is that voters have been more supportive of professionalism in selecting appellate judges than trial judges. Judicial Selection in the States should be read by anyone seeking a deep understanding of the complex interplay between politics and the judiciary at the state level in the United States.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kritzer, Herbert M

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Staats- und Regierungsformen, Staatslehre
• Rechtswissenschaften Recht, Rechtswissenschaft Allgemein

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction. The challenges of judicial selection and retention in the states; 2. North Carolina: partisanship in the extreme; 3. Arkansas: third time was the charm; 4. West Virginia: change and chaos; 5. Tennessee: unconstraining the Governor's choice of appellate judges; 6. Georgia: nonpartisan elections as part of court modernization; 7. Mississippi: a complex of factors; 8. Utah: the two step; 9. New Mexico: finding its own unique approach; 10. Connecticut, Rhode Island, and South Carolina: adding 'merit' to nonelective systems; 11. Florida and South Dakota: unsuccessful efforts to extend the Missouri Plan; 12. Nevada and Ohio: voters say no to the Missouri Plan; 13. Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, and New Hampshire: talk, talk, talk, but no results; 14. Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma: unsuccessful efforts to end 'merit' nominating commissions; 15. Conclusion: what do we want in our judges?

Über Autor(innen)

Kritzer, Herbert M
Herbert M. Kritzer is the Marvin J. Sonosky Chair of Law and Public Policy at the University of Minnesota Law School. He is the author or coauthor of eight previous books, including Justices on the Ballot (Cambridge, 2015), and more than 100 articles or book chapters.