Why should voters care who is elected judge?
Judges make decisions in individual cases, and their cases are assigned randomly. That means any one of us, our business, or our child, could have a case in front of any Cuyahoga County Court judge. Judges decide, for example, whether to hold or release a defendant before trial, the sentence to be imposed on someone convicted of a crime, temporary and permanent custody arrangements, and whether a child is delinquent and how that delinquency will be punished. Judges decide whether a case can be heard by a jury, and whether a jury verdict should be reduced or thrown out. The decision that a judge makes in any one case affects not only the people or businesses in that case, but may be precedent for future cases.
Any one of us, our business, or our child, could have a case in front of any Cuyahoga County Court judge. Judges decide, for example, whether to hold or release a defendant before trial, the sentence to be imposed on someone convicted of a crime, temporary and permanent custody arrangements, and whether a child is delinquent and how that delinquency will be punished. Judges decide whether a case can be heard by a jury, and whether a jury verdict should be reduced or thrown out. The decision that a judge makes in any one case affects the people or businesses in that case, and may be precedent for future cases. As citizens, we want and need good judges and well functioning courts.
