Court Review: Volume 42, Issue 3-4 - Editor's Note

Authors

Date of this Version

December 2006

Document Type

Article

Comments

Published in Court Review: The Journal of the American Judges Association, 42:3-4 (2006), pp. 2. Copyright © 2006 National Center for State Courts. Used by permission. Online at http://aja.ncsc.dni.us/htdocs/publications.htm.

Abstract

This issue presents four viewpoints on current issues involving judicial elections, politics, and the effect of public opinion on the courts. In our lead article, Shira Goodman and Lynn Marks of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts tell the story of Pennsylvania’s 2005 retention election for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. With very little warning, public opposition developed to the retention of two justices: one was retained with 54% of the vote and one was thrown out of office with only 49% voting to retain him. The election was unusual because it did not relate to opinions issued by either justice. Rather, the court and its judges got caught up in controversy over pay raises for the judiciary, which passed only as a package with raises for other governmental officials. Goodman and Marks explore both the story and its implications.