Hall, Melinda Gann, and Chris W. Bonneau. “Does Quality Matter? Challengers in State Supreme Court Elections,” 50 American Journal of Political Science 1 (2006). (JStor)

December 20, 2011

This article examines 208 judicial elections from 1990–2000, finding that voters appear to evaluate challengers’ qualifications and that experienced challengers lessen the electoral security of incumbents.

  • Judicial Election

    Judges are elected by popular vote.

  • Democratic Appointment

    Judges are appointed directly by a democratic body, or appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of some democratic body.