Judicial election reform proponents move forward

Despite a potentially uphill battle in the upcoming legislative session,  proponents of judicial election reform are moving full speed ahead with their message, according to Minnesota Lawyer.

Advocates of change favor a move from the current system of electing judges to a retention system by which the governor would fill open judicial seats and voters would decide whether to retain the judge. Also, an independent judicial-performance commission would be created to publicly evaluate judges’ performance.

Last year, a proposed ballot question asking voters to make the change got further than it ever has before in the Legislature, only to be derailed shortly before the end of the session. Election observers say the chances of getting the measure through the Legislature this year are slim at best.

“If it’s not dead, it practically is,” said Hamline University School of Law Adjunct Professor David Schultz, a recognized expert in government, law and politics. “I’m not even sure I want to use the analogy of life support because I actually don’t think it’s going to go anywhere at this point.”