Judicial selection reform moved historically from partisan to nonpartisan elections to merit selection
Evidence
During the Progressive era, when reformers claimed that government would be improved by restricting the influence of partisan politics, several states established nonpartisan elections for judges. Merit selection, first adopted in 1940 in Missouri, has replaced nonpartisan elections as the reformers’ preferred approach, which they argue will eliminate partisan influences from judicial recruitment and attract highly qualified persons to the bench. From 1960 to 2008, twelve states instituted merit selection, although the pace of change has slowed considerably since the 1980s. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 409
Categorization
- DEFINE: Merit selection is defined here as a reformist alternative to judicial elections, first adopted in Missouri in 1940.
- XREF: Connects to Progressive-era reform and institutional-design debates about courts as countermajoritarian bodies. — connects to: Jacksonian democracy installed popular partisan election of judges nationwide — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 408; Judicial selection systems reflect successive eras of political reform since 1789 — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 407; Merit selection transforms rather than removes politics from judicial selection — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 439 (+2 more)
Broader Connections
- American judicial selection shifted over time with alternating independence and accountability values
#corroborates(0.90) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 370 - Merit selection replaces partisan appointment with commission nomination
#expands(0.90) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 606 - Merit selection transforms rather than removes politics from judicial selection
#qualifies(0.85) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 439