Gibson, James L. “Challenges to the Impartiality of State Supreme Courts: Legitimacy Theory and ‘New-Style’ Judicial Campaigns,” 102 American Political Science Review 1, 59 (2008).

December 20, 2011

This article presents survey data indicating that while campaign contributions and attack ads in judicial elections threaten the legitimacy of courts, policy pronouncements do not.

  • 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.