What's Merit Selection?

Merit selection is a better alternative to Louisiana’s partisan election system.  It seeks to remove or minimize the influence of special interest group money and politics while at the same time raising the competence level of our judges.

Thirty one of the fifty states of the United States have some kind of merit selection system.  No two systems are exactly alike.  Merit selection in Louisiana would replace the election process for the judicial branch with a selection process similar to that used by the federal government in which the Governor would nominate a candidate for judge subject to confirmation by the state Senate.  Unlike the federal appointment process, however, LOJE supports programs that further minimize the impact of politics and patronage and maximizes the quality of the nominees.  Finally, LOJE supports direct participation by the people in periodic retention elections that can remove a bad judge by direct vote of the citizens of his district.

In a society of “law” and not “men”, judges must be accountable to the laws and the constitution alone, not a constituency or a group of benefactors who finance their election campaign.  Partisanship and advocacy, inherent in the other two branches of government, are a detriment to the judicial branch.  Judges must decide cases and controversies regardless of the political power, wealth or influence of litigants.  Judges are the last bastion and chief protection of the rights of the individual against the mighty weight and power of the government itself.

Washington, Madison, Jefferson, Hamilton and other founding fathers of the United States of America realized in 1789 when writing our national constitution that the judicial branch of government was different than the legislative and executive branches.  They realized that judicial independence and impartiality would be jeopardized if judges were elected like Congressmen or the President.  That is why the federal constitution provides for a selection process that results in the appointment of all federal judges for life.

Louisiana has never had merit selection.  Louisiana’s partisan election system has failed the State as can be seen by the repeated corruption scandals over the years and the low repute in which Louisiana’s judiciary is held in the nation.  Louisiana can do better than this and rise from worst to first if we have the will to demand merit selection from candidates running for the Legislature this year.  Ask the candidates in your legislative district where they stand on merit selection or watch this web site for information on your candidates as the election season progresses this year.  Support candidates who are committed to a better way of picking our judges.