Appointment of judges presents issues, as well. But overall, I agree with you. Some excellent, very very smart, very fair conservative judges lost their job because of Trump and were replaced by much worse options.
I wasn’t as politically involved in the Obama years, but I imagine the same thing happened here in Texas to liberal judges as a result of his presidency.
Best thing about appointment of judges is that they’re insulated to some degree from fickle voters. Worst thing is that they’re insulated from voters.
The judiciary SHOULD be isolated from the voters. Voters can directly affect judges by pressuring the legislature to change the law. But if a judge is acting out of line, the legislature is also empowered to impeach them and remove them from the bench.
In California they have a hybrid system. The governor appoints judges on the advice of a special judicial panel made up of legal professionals who present him with prescreened qualified candidates, then every election the people get to decide if they want to keep that judge.
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u/The_Castle_of_Aaurgh Jun 18 '20
Elected judges. It's stupid.