Judge Says Merit Selection = “Marketing, Pure and Simple”
November 17, 2009
“Merit” selection schemes are “just marketing, pure and simple” and won’t produce better judges, says West Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Brent Benjamin in an interview with the West Virginia Record.
“Let people pick their judges. It makes sense. To paraphrase John F. Kennedy, a state afraid to let its people vote is a state afraid of its people. The notion that people can’t be trusted to have a say in government … that is really sad. Certainly elections can be tough, but I have confidence in people. Give them the information and believe in them….Part of a democracy is having a choice.”
In an era where many legal elites, such as former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, believe the power to choose judges should be taken away from voters and handed over to lawyer-dominated tribunals, it’s refreshing to hear one of our public servants on the bench stand up for the rights of ordinary citizens.