'If You Can Keep It': Should Judges Be Elected?
Summary
This 1A episode examines Kansas’s ballot measure to replace merit-based judicial selection with elections, a move driven by anti-abortion advocates after a 2022 referendum loss. Host Jen White interviews experts Zach Boblett, Leah Littman, and Judge Lodorus Hazard Cordell, who debate how campaign spending and partisanship threaten judicial independence. The discussion highlights the risks of politicizing courts versus the democratic appeal of voter choice in selecting judges.
Topics discussed
Introduction: Kansas judicial election amendment and ads
Sponsor breaks: Therapy and career coaching
Origins of the Kansas amendment and current court composition
Leah Littman on anti-abortion strategy and merit selection
Sponsor breaks: Investing and career coaching
Judge Cordell on abortion rights and democratic legitimacy
Risks of judicial elections and donor influence
Record spending in Wisconsin and national trends
History of Kansas merit selection and the 'Judicial Revolt'
Historical evolution of judicial selection methods
Sponsor breaks and listener concerns about voter information
Impact of Citizens United on judicial campaign spending
Partisanship in North Carolina and Wisconsin elections
Listener perspectives and declining public trust in courts
Conclusion: Nationalization of state courts and reform ideas
Closing credits and final sponsor messages
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