Find out which U.S. states elect, appoint, or merit-select judges for their State Supreme Courts. [Note: Many states do not use the same method of judicial selection for all of their courts. A state that selects its Supreme Court judges by partisan election, for example, might select its appellate or general jusrisdiction judges by appointment or merit selection. To learn more about the specific election rules in your state, use the State Court Locator.]
Here are the findings from various studies and reports on: who usually wins
judicial races; the amount of money involved and its sources; the public's
perception of judges. The parts of the country covered are: Los Angeles
County; Illinois; Louisiana, North Carolina; Ohio; Pennsylvania; and Texas.
The American Judicature Society offers this state-by-state round-up of
controversies and issues affecting judicial independence.
