Evaluating Judges

87 percent of all state court judges face election to gain or retain their seats, according to the National Center for State Courts, with 39 states electing at least some of their judges. State courts in the United States are unique in the world—neither our own federal system, nor any other nation,...
May 25, 2011

How Court-Watching Supports Our Work

To support its mission of research-based advocacy, Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice operates several court-watching programs. Court-watching serves Appleseed’s dual purposes of research and advocacy particularly well and is a central component of all our research into how the courts are functionin...
May 3, 2011

Illinois Supreme Court Requires Judges to Self-Evaluate

This week, the Illinois Supreme Court announced that it had amended Illinois Supreme Court Rule 58, “Judicial Performance Evaluation.” The amendment mandates that all Circuit Court and Associate judges be evaluated through a process to be administered through a contract with National Center for Stat...
March 3, 2011

Who Ruled that Rahm Couldn’t Run?

Whenever big political decisions come before little known judges, all eyes are on the bench. Since 1970, the Chicago Council for Lawyers (Chicago Appleseed’s partner organization), has been reviewing the performance of judges serving on Cook County Circuit Courts, as well as 1st District Candidates...
January 26, 2011

The Importance of Citizen Oversight of the Judiciary

The Iowa Independent reports that Doug Gross,—Iowan lawyer has served as a lobbyist and as a former advisor to Iowa Governor-elect Terry Branstad—has criticized the involvement of the Iowa Bar Association in judicial elections:“They’re elitists,” Gross said of the Bar Association in an interview wit...
December 14, 2010