Bonneau and Hall offer a fresh new approach. Using almost two decades of data on state supreme court elections, Bonneau and Hall argue that opponents of judicial elections have made—and continue to make—erroneous empirical claims. They show that judicial elections are efficacious mechanisms that enhance the quality of democracy and create an inextricable link between citizens and the judiciary. In so doing, they pioneer the use of empirical data to shed light on these normative questions and offer a coherent defense of judicial elections. This provocative book is essential reading for anyone interested in the politics of judicial selection, law and politics, or the electoral process.
Part of the Controversies in Electoral Democracy and Representation series edited by Matthew J. Streb.
Chris W. Bonneau is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh.
Melinda Gann Hall is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University.