How can municipal court judges establish and maintain judicial independence?
Municipal courts are creatures of local government and have historically been extensions of the local political system with all that entailed, sometimes including patronage, nepotism, and corruption. Although there is recognized value in having some accommodation to local culture, reform efforts in the state trial courts have generally tended to move away from the intense localism of the past toward a perception that trial courts are part of a statewide system to render justice efficiently and fairly according to common procedural guidelines and professional standards. As Robert Tobin relates: In the name of judicial independence, judges and their allies have sought to eliminate or at least limit political considerations in the selection, tenure, and salary of judges. They have also sought to make judges more professional and more aware of their responsibilities. They have striven for more control over management of the judicial branch and struggled against budgetary retaliation agains
