Sep 08 2008
Chief Justice Castille Calls for Merit Selection
In an interview with Pittsburgh television station WTAE, Pennsylvania Chief Justice Ronald Castille decries the money involved in electing judges and calls for a Merit Selection system. Long a supporter of Merit Selection, Chief Justice Castille notes that recent elections are further eroding public confidence in the courts:
“The feeling is out there because of the money that goes around in an elective position like mine that somebody is not gonna get a fair shake. That’s not the way it should be…Those things do erode citizens’ confidence in justice,” said Castille. . . . “The reality of a threat to impartiality I think is there,” said Castille.
Chief Justice Castille agreed with University of Pittsburgh law professor Tom Ross that the way to solve this problem is to stop electing appellate judges:
“Yeah, I would do that just to get the corrosive effect of money out of the election process… The citizens ought to believe they’re going to get justice no matter who is on the other side, or no mater [sic] who in our particular election process, no matter who supported what justice,” said Castille.
Thanks to the Chief Justice for speaking out about the problems inherent in electing judges and supporting a change to Merit Selection for the appellate courts.
Tags: Chief Justice Ronald Castille, Merit Selection, Professor Tom Ross, WTAE
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Bravo to the Chief Justice. It’s good that he’s honest enough to acknowledge that the appearance of influence by campaign donations is just as disruptive as actual partiality. That public suspicion leaves even the most honest, fair and impartial judges open to questions about whether money influences their rulings. Shouldn’t we want our judges to be able to do their jobs without the shadow of campaign money clouding their decisions?