Electing Judges: The Surprising Effects of Campaigning on Judicial Legitimacy

A revealing and provocative study of the effects of judicial elections on state courts and public perceptions of impartiality.

In Electing Judges, leading judicial politics scholar James L. Gibson responds to the growing concern that the realities of campaigning are undermining judicial independence and even the rule of law. Armed with empirical evidence, Gibson offers the most systematic and comprehensive study to date of the impact of judicial elections on public perceptions of fairness...