I thought this was a really excellent commentary and certainly something that actually should be done anywhere there are judges selected using this merit system, it should be changed.  Judges should have to run for office.  I was also happy to see Iowa succeeded where Florida failed to unseat some judges this past election.

Tea Party Nation

Posted by Judson Phillips on January 1, 2011 at 6:37pm

Liberals have always loved unelected Judges.  Why worry about trying to get an unpopular socialist agenda through the legislature, when you can find unelected judges who will issue mandates from the bench.   The left has always liked the unelected Federal Judiciary.  But in years past, the
left learned some issues will not make it to Federal Court.   They would instead be decided in state courts, so the left has pushed for decades to change the judiciary from elected to appointed and therefore unaccountable to the public.

In 2009, seven Supreme Court Judges in Iowa found an undiscovered portion of the Iowa constitution that guaranteed gay marriage.  The people of Iowa were unhappy about it but the unelected judges and the left did not worry.  Why should they?

In 1962 Iowa changed from electing judges to something that is dishonestly called “merit selection.”  Instead of the voters choosing, a panel, controlled by lawyer groups and other liberal special interests decided who would be nominated and sent to the Governor, who would then make the final selection.   Those judges would later be subject to a “retention” vote.  In a move reminiscent of the old Soviet Union or Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, they would be the only name on the ballot.  The voters would have a
choice, either keep or reject.  In the forty-eight years the system had been in place, not a single judge was ever
voted out of office.   Most won their elections with 70% of the vote. 

In 2010, the people of Iowa, angered by this blatant legislating from the bench voted out all three of the Supreme Court judges who made that ruling and were up for retention.  Four others who voted for the decision were not up for
reelection.   Republican legislators have indicated they are going to try and impeach those four. 

In Tennessee, in 1974, the state legislature changed the law and judges for the Court of Appeals and the Court of Criminal Appeals were put under the dishonest “merit system.”  
The selection process was set up so that liberal politicians and special interests controlled it.  In 1990, the Tennessee Supreme Court was added to the list of merit selection and in
1994, the trial courts were partially included. 

Something funny happened in 2010.  Republicans took huge majorities in the State House and State Senate. 

The system, which is referred to as the Tennessee plan will expire in 2012.  Republican state legislators are already talking about abolishing the system and making all
judges in Tennessee, from the small city court judges all the way to Tennessee Supreme Court Justices stand for popular election.

As you might guess, the left is having a heart attack over this.  Lawyer groups and Democrats are out there protesting this.  The worthless liberal Tennessee newspapers are beating the drum on this.   A group of liberal lawyers and politicians, which only a liberal newspaper would describe as a “non-partisan” group is soliciting donations to help fight this.

Republican legislators are called many things, but courageous is generally not one of them.   The Republicans who are fighting against leftist tyranny on this one are
going to be subject to a lot of pressure and probably some hit pieces from the media if they do not back off on this. 
We can only hope that they will show some intestinal fortitude and destroy this system that allows liberals to keep a lock on one part of the government.

As we now sail into the New Year, many state legislatures are coming back into session.  For the thirty some odd states that use this fraudulent “merit system” for selecting judges now would be a good time to drop it.  Tea Party groups, as you talk to your state legislators this year, should strongly suggest that all judgeships in your state be subject to popular election. 

This is just one more fight in our struggle to take this country back from socialism and restore liberty.

http://www.teapartynation.com/forum/topics/the-people-strike-back