CORNELL UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICENov. 3, 2016 Judges should be appointed, not elected

Claire Lim, a professor of political economy at Cornell University who looks at how political environments and the design of government institutions interact with the behavior of public officials, explains why having voters choose judicial candidates based along their party line, without considering the candidates' quality, is an outdated system.

Bio: https://lim.economics.cornell.edu/Lim says:

“Elections are effective for selecting and retaining competent representatives only if electorates can be well-informed about candidates.

“In many states, judicial candidates' party affiliation appears on the ballot. This leads voters to vote on judicial candidates solely along their party line, without considering the candidates' quality.

“In contrast, if judges are appointed, the appointment process can be rigorous enough so that voters do not even need to hold incumbent judges accountable.

“It is a time to have a second thought about electing judges.”

For interviews contact:Rebecca Vallioffice: 607-255-7701cell: 607-793-1025[email protected] Cornell University has television, ISDN and dedicated Skype/Google+ Hangout studios available for media interviews. - 30 -