CBA Record October 2016

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CBA RECORD 9
Virtually each case is disposed of properly,
efficiently, and fairly. A few bad results get
all the attention. Those few should not cast
a cloud over the entire judiciary.
Perhaps more troubling than this
slanted media coverage is the fact that in
every election cycle, almost half of the
voters who take the time to go to their
polling places and casts votes for the high-
profile elected offices, don’t even bother to
vote in the judicial races or for the retention
candidates appearing at the bottom of the
ballot. Some of the stated reasons are, “I
don’t know anything about judges, so I am
not going to bother voting.” Or, “There are
too many names on that ballot. I don’t have
time to go through all of them.” These are
not explanations. They’re all just excuses
for voter apathy. Yet, when comparing
the lesser of two evils, I suppose that this
practice of “skipping” the judicial ballot
is a better course of action than the one
taken by about 20% of voters who vote
“No”, across the board, for each judge
seeking retention, regardless of his or her
qualifications, bar ratings, or service to the
community. These voters are not simply
apathetic. They are overtly antagonistic to
our judicial system.
Maybe the blame for this apathy and
antagonism lies with us–the practicing
lawyers. Maybe we need to tell our neigh-
bors that almost all of our judges have been
thoroughly vetted, and are qualified public
servants who do a good job. Maybe we need
to remind these folks that they should not
complain about our legal system unless they
take the time to learn about candidates, act
as educated voters do, and actually influ-
ence the election of the judiciary.
Perhaps we at the CBA need to do a
better job of making people aware of the
work done by the dozens of lawyers who
serve on our Judicial Evaluation Com-
mittee (JEC). Each election cycle, the
JEC devotes thousands of hours to rate
each judge appearing on the ballot. Those
ratings are published in the CBA’s “Vote
Smart” guide which is available for free
at Our 2016 “Vote
Smart” voter education campaign also fea-
tures public service radio announcements,
CBATV, the internet via and
various social media outlets.
But we need your help too. As lawyers,
we must be advocates for our judicial
system. Download our “Vote Smart” guide
and share it with your family, friends and
neighbors. If you know people who truly
“don’t know anything about the judges,”
give them this guide to take into the polling
place to help themmake educated choices.
Remember, America has always had the
greatest justice system in the world. The
only way we can maintain that system is if
our citizens participate in the process.