John Oliver did a great segment on why it is a horrible idea for judges to be elected. I had no idea that there are only two countries in the world where judges are elected to office – the U.S. and Bolivia. In the U.S., judges are elected in 35 of the 50 states. That’s pretty bad.
Judges should be impersonal arbiters of the law. However, anyone involved in foreclosure defense can tell you that is far from the truth. Judges tend to be biased and rule more based on their pre-conceived notions.
My mother’s family is from Spain. I have a relative who decided she wanted to be a judge in Madrid. In order to become a judge, she first had to obtain a Bachelor’s of Law degree. She then had to pass a very tough entrance exam to get into Judiciary School. Yes, that’s right – Judiciary School.
Judiciary School is a year long program where you take mandatory law classes. From what she told me, it is very intense. During this year, you get some hands on experience by serving as an associate judge. After completing the year long judiciary school, you have to sit for another very tough exam. If you pass this last exam, then you can be sworn in as judge.
As a judge, you are banned from becoming a member in any political party.
To me, this is a much better way. There are too many judges in the United States that have no knowledge of some very specialized areas of law. It should be mandatory for any person wishing to become a judge to undergo a year long intense schooling followed by an exam. Then, and only then, can a person be sworn in as a judge.
Watch below what John Oliver has to say.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Elected Judges (HBO) – YouTube.
Alina's Blog 
I don’t know that elected is such a bad idea. In Hawaii, for example, judges are appointed upon their popularity, kinda like the Oscars. No way to easily get rid of them when they are idiots or corrupt. Maybe elections for judges should eliminate corporate donation funding and just make it individual donation only. In any case, they all should have to take an exam…regularly.
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I think elected and appointed are in the same category. You still have to low-tow to political pressures. That’s why I like the way Spain does it. You go to school and pass exams. Only then are you sworn in as a judge.
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