Judges have more power over our lives and our laws than you may realize. In states where judges are elected by popular vote, judicial elections are our one and only opportunity to make sure competent judges are in place to consider matters that might involve our family, friends, neighbors and employers. In a typical election, more than 60 percent of voters do not vote for judicial candidates, even though judges have the power to affect our lives as much or more than the legislature or the governor. Here’s why it is so important to cast an informed vote in judicial elections:
Our judicial system directly affects our lives and how we live.
Every day, judges make decisions about the rights of citizens that can mean loss of freedom, property and other wealth; they make decisions on cases that affect our jobs, health care and safety; and they determine if laws that your elected representatives worked hard to pass on your behalf will be upheld or struck down.
Decisions of a state’s Supreme Court are final and set the law for that state.
Unless the case is reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which rarely happens, the state Supreme Court's decision stands. In other words, your state Supreme Court has significant control over your life and your future.
Bad decisions by judges who substitute their own personal interests for the law can affect your children, grandchildren and future generations.
It may take years for another case to provide an opportunity for a later court to revisit a poor decision and make it right.
Good judges hold wrongdoers accountable and make sure that people with legitimate injuries get compensation. They also get rid of frivolous lawsuits.
For example, asbestos lawsuits began spiraling out of control in 1997. Instead of providing justice for those who have been injured, they became an easy way for lawyers to get money for their clients, even when the clients weren’t sick. When some good judges questioned the thousands of lawsuits that were flooding the courts, they found a widespread pattern of false medical findings. These judges sounded the alarm and helped stop some of the abuse. Unfortunately, by then asbestos litigation had forced dozens of companies into bankruptcy and put up to 60,000 people out of work, costing workers and their families up to $200 million in wages.
State judicial elections are often decided by just a handful of votes.
When fewer than 40 percent of voters are casting ballots in judicial races, the margin for victory can be very small. Your informed vote is vital to our system of justice. A well-functioning judiciary is critically important to the well-being of your family, your community and your state. As citizens, it is our responsibility to vote for judges we can trust to make impartial decisions based on a fair consideration of the facts and law. We need judges who won’t bow to political or economic pressure and judges who are qualified for the job.
