In Defense of Judicial Elections [Hardcover]

One of the most contentious issues in politics today is the propriety of electing judges. Ought judges be independent of democratic processes in obtaining and retaining their seats, or should they be subject to the approval of the electorate and the processes that accompany popular control? While this debate is interesting and often quite heated, it usually occurs without reference to empirical facts--or at least accurate ones. Also, empirical scholars to date have refused to take a position on the normative issues surrounding the practice.

Bonneau and Hall offer a fresh new approach. Using almost two decades of data on state supreme court elections, Bonneau and Hall argue that opponents of judicial elections have madeand continue to makeerroneous empirical claims. They show that judicial elections are efficacious mechanisms that enhance the quality of democracy and create an inextricable link between citizens and the judiciary. In so doing, they pioneer the use of empirical data to shed light on these normative questions and offer a coherent defense of judicial elections. This provocative book is essential reading for anyone interested in the politics of judicial selection, law and politics, or the electoral process.

Part of the Controversies in Electoral Democracy and Representationseries edited by Matthew J. Streb.

1. The History of Electing Judges  2. The Question of Voter Interest  3. Campaign Spending  4. Electoral Competition  5. Incumbency  6. The Impact of Institutional Reforms to Judicial Elections  7. Conclusion

In the Acknowledgment section of this book, Professors Bonneau and Hall make the bold, perhaps even audacious, claim that their book represents the most comprehensive, systematic examination of state supreme court elections that we (or others) have ever undertaken. After reading the book and digesting thel“7