55% of Potential Voters Support Judicial Elections for State Judges

Most potential voters support judicial elections for state court judges, despite qualms about influence by special interest groups making campaign donations, according to a Harris Poll conducted with input from the American Bar Association.

The survey (PDF) of the voting age public found that 55 percent think elections should be used to select judges, according to a press release. Forty-three percent said judges should be chosen in nonpartisan elections without party labels while 12 percent said partisan elections should be used.

Another question asked whether judges should be allowed to accept contributions from special interest groups. Seventy-nine percent agreed with the statement: “Since judges are expected to be impartial on so many potential issues facing them, they should not be allowed to accept money from any special interests.”

ABA President H. Thomas Wells Jr. of Birmingham, Ala., commented on the findings in the press release. “Americans recognize that justice is too important to be controlled by party politics, or by interest groups with big bankrolls,” he said.

Turning to federal judicial elections, the poll asked the respondents for their views of using citizen committees to review the backgrounds and qualifications of potential nominees—an idea backed by the ABA. Sixty-seven percent said the idea was a good one.