Litigation

Indiana Lawmakers Debate Judicial Elections

By Lissette Villarruel

Indiana’s legislature is moving in opposite directions on the question of whether counties should elect or appoint their  judges, an article from wndu.com reports.

By an 11-0 vote, a House committee endorsed legislation to elect local judges in St. Joseph County, one of only two counties in Indiana to use a merit selection appointment system.  State Rep. Craig Fry said, ??These folks [i.e. judges] are unaccountable, elections make us accountable to the people we serve.? ?

While the bill has received bipartisan support, county and state bar associations have spoken in favor of the current appointment system, arguing that the ?merit system produces the highest quality candidates.?

At the same time, the Senate Rules and Legislative Procedure Committee  recently endorsed a bill that would establish merit selection in Lake County, according to the National Center for State Courts. Any legislation to switch in either direction must be approved by both the House and Senate, making the ultimate fate of the two bills unclear.

Full post as published by The Gavel on February 07, 2009 (boomark / email).