Roadblock to Reform: Judicial Selection and Criminal Justice Reform

Gavel Gap

For the first time, researchers have gathered data on the demographics of state court judges in all 50 states.  They found troubling differences between the race and gender composition of the courts and the communities they serve.  We call this disparity the Gavel Gap.

Partisan Justice

The upward spiral of big money fundraising and aggressive politics in state judicial elections pressures judges to become partisan actors who favor their own party in deciding election disputes. Bush v. Gore is by far the most famous of this kind of election case, but state courts decide many similar cases every year, regularly determining who wields […]