www.ditl.org

What's really bad is trying to find out any information about them in order to make an informed opinion. Most of those candidates don't really campaign so the first time you see their names is on the ballot.

Where are judges elected?

Anyway, Rochey - to sum it up: the sherrif's department serves as court officers. In some rural areas, they may have to double as law enforcement (like the old stereotype in the rural South) but their primary function is serving court orders; enforcement of civil judgements (child support, etc.) and the like.

And when I traveled to Johnstown, PA, here's how I knew I was in the backwater armpit of the country: county coroner was an elected position.






No, really.

Mikey wrote:Where are judges elected?

Here's a NY Times article on judicial elections; apparently most US states do it - but it seems to be a peculiarly American thing, and jurists such as Sandra Day O'Connor have condemned the practice. I agree; I think it's a bad idea.

Massachusetts is one of the states that doesn't elect judges, but we do still elect sheriffs and district attorneys, as well as important statewide offices such as the secretary of state (a kind of public information officer), the attorney general and the treasurer. We also have the institution of the town meeting in smaller communities, where important municipal matters are determined by whoever cares to show up.

Electing judges is a horrendously bad idea, for reasons I'm certain everyone can see immediately. They're not going to make unfavourable rulings if it'll result in them not getting re-elected. Who the hell thought up that system?

Mikey wrote:Anyway, Rochey - to sum it up: the sherrif's department serves as court officers. In some rural areas, they may have to double as law enforcement (like the old stereotype in the rural South) but their primary function is serving court orders; enforcement of civil judgements (child support, etc.) and the like.

Ah, right. Not as bad as I'd thought, then, but I still think it shouldn't be elected.

And country coroner? Just.....why?

Because we americans fought and died to gain the right to vote (unless of course you were black, or a woman, or not wealthy...but we gradually got around to fixing that) And now that we have the right, we wish to exercise it at every concievable, and inconcievable, oppertunity.

IDK. I've dealt with a number of circuit judges, who are all appointed - as are, obviously, superior and supreme court justices.

And county coroner... like I said, it was an area passing through which I was about to call the fire department upon seeing a pretty big blaze in one yard - until I was informed that the residents were just getting rid of their trash.

Lighthawk wrote:Because we americans fought and died to gain the right to vote (unless of course you were black, or a woman, or not wealthy...but we gradually got around to fixing that) And now that we have the right, we wish to exercise it at every concievable, and inconcievable, oppertunity.

We fought and died for our freedom too. And then we decided to kill each other because some of us didn't like the amount of freedom we'd been given. Yet we still don't hold elections for every conceivable thing.

Rochey wrote:

Lighthawk wrote:Because we americans fought and died to gain the right to vote (unless of course you were black, or a woman, or not wealthy...but we gradually got around to fixing that) And now that we have the right, we wish to exercise it at every concievable, and inconcievable, oppertunity.

We fought and died for our freedom too. And then we decided to kill each other because some of us didn't like the amount of freedom we'd been given. Yet we still don't hold elections for every conceivable thing.

*shrug* People do weird shit, what can I say?

Believe you me: as a lifelong resident of suburbia amidst the US Northeast metro corridor, the idea of electing a county coroner is as alien to me as it is to you.

Of course, that was also a part of Pennsyl-tucky in which the roadside restaurants had signs that read "in-house butcher."