Work

Facing the Public: Voter Assessments of Judicial Scandal

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: A decades-long debate has sought to determine whether judicial elections are detrimental to the impartiality of judges and public support for state court systems. We contribute to that discussion by assessing whether elections work to hold errant judges accountable. We use a novel dataset of judicial scandal, including newspaper reports of misconduct against elected state supreme court justices. Our data examines the effect of scandal from 2000–2023 to determine whether controversy affects voter support for incumbents. We find voters pay attention to the harmful effects of scandal on judiciaries and that impacted incumbents experience diminished support, relative to other incumbents.

Source: Journal of Law and Courts

DOI: 10.1017/jlc.2025.9

Authors: Kayla S. Canelo, Brent D. Boyea, Danielle N. Myers

Institution: The University of Texas at Arlington

Language: English

Topic: Judicial and Constitutional Studies

Subfield: Law

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,550