OPINION & EDITORIAL
Scrap the system
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Also by Badger Herald Editorial Board:
- Common sense 4 Jesus (April 4, 2008)
- In light of yesterday's tragedy (April 3, 2008)
- With April showers come voting powers (April 1, 2008)
- Vote 'yes' on Frankenstein veto (March 31, 2008)
- A fool's errand (March 27, 2008)
Related Stories:
- Judges need diverse résumés (February 13, 2007)
- Select, don't elect (March 6, 2008)
- High court election could be worse (April 3, 2008)
- Top court race needs fairness (February 27, 2008)
- Voting for judges hurts candidates (February 14, 2007)
by Badger Herald Editorial Board
Monday, April 7, 2008
Lo and behold, after another high court race marked by an ignoble tenor echoing last year’s contest, we would again like to call for reform of the current selection system for Wisconsin Supreme Court justices.
Of course, we are not alone in desiring change. Newspapers across the state — most aggressively the Wisconsin State Journal — have been calling for reform for some time now. Most of these publications have the right intentions, but too few of them have the right solution.
While the State Journal, for example, has been calling for a merit system that relies on the objectivity of an appointed committee, we would instead like to see a system mirroring the selection and confirmation process for the federal bench. As a hallmark of the system of checks and balances, the governor should be free to nominate an individual he or she views as worthy, and the Legislature should be free to accept or deny that nomination.
It is paramount that the foremost protectors of state law are beholden only to the law, not the political whims of the moment. This is a fundamental principle of the American judicial branch. In light of the latest in a series of misguided Supreme Court races, we urge the state Legislature to consider reform to the selection procedure that would mirror the federal process.
Anonymous (April 7, 2008 @ 10:21am):
Put selection in the hands of hacks from the elite political class, said hacks chosen based on the political whims of the moment.
Whatever you do, remember that the proles can not be trusted to vote for the "right" candidate.
Anonymous (April 7, 2008 @ 11:56am):
What? This editorial board is nuts. Yeah, the Federal Supreme Court nomination process works SO well... just ask Harriet Meyers.
I would rather keep the supreme court justices as elected officials, and I wouldn't mind if the federal judges followed Wisconsin's lead.
Anonymous (April 7, 2008 @ 3:09pm):
Some states have merit selection, followed by a retention election after several years. This combines the best of both electing and appointing judges.
Zachary Starr (April 7, 2008 @ 6:43pm):
Its certainly an issue that has merit on both sides, but as so far all the comments are pro-election I will throw my hat to the other side.
Judges during election cycles have startling conviction rates and sentences, and the pressures on them to raise campaign funds often puts them in murky places. NY TIMES had an interesting article on this.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/us/01judges.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&th&emc=th
Anonymous (April 18, 2008 @ 9:05pm):
I'd agree on the condition governor's had term limits.
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