What is the case for merit selection, or appointment, vs. election of judges?
Proponents advocate merit selection over election on a number of grounds, including 1) judges should be chosen based upon qualifications (merit) rather than political or social connections; 2) merit selection reduces the negative influence of politics and money pervasive in judicial elections; 3) merit selection retains an electoral feature for removal of judges—a yes/no citizen vote for retention; and 4) merit selection increases representation of women and minority judges. For additional information about merit selection, please see the American Bar Association Fact Sheet on Judicial Selection. Additional judicial selection resources are also available from the American Judicature Society. Proponents of judicial elections oppose merit selection for a number of reasons: 1) appointment of judges does not remove politics from the system and does not necessarily result in a more independent judiciary; 2) citizens have a right to elect judges—electing judges is compatible with democratic
