Even if you never set foot in a courtroom, judges will have an enormous influence on your life.
In fact, judges who serve on state supreme courts and other appeals courts may create as much public policy in a given year as the lawmakers in your state capitol.
Because of that, judges in many states have been made accountable to the people — the voters — every bit as much as lawmakers, governors and presidents are.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment allows judicial candidates to answer your questions just like any other candidate can. So this election, get to know your judicial candidates and ask them to share their views.
Let’s be fair, judicial elections are a mystery to many of us. That’s probably why polls show that most of us are more likely to know the names of the characters on our favorite television show than the names of the judges who decide how much freedom we have at work, at home and in our communities. This election, lets change that. However you choose to vote, make it a point to learn about the men and women who are running on the judicial portion of your ballot.
Find out more. Go to my website at BobDorigoJones.com.
Bob Dorigo Jones, who serves as Senior Fellow for the Foundation for Fair Civil Justice, is the author of the bestselling Remove Child Before Folding, The 101 Stupidest, Silliest and Wackiest Warning Labels Ever. He is the host of a new national radio/Internet commentary, “Let’s Be Fair.”