One of the most contentious issues in politics today is the propriety of electing judges. Ought judges be independent of democratic processes in obtaining and retaining their seats, or should they be subject to the approval of the electorate and the processes that accompany popular control? While this debate is interesting and often quite heated, it usually occurs without reference to empirical facts--or at least accurate ones. Also, empirical scholars to date have refused to take a position on the normative issues surrounding the practice.

Bonneau and Hall offer a fresh new...

Ought judges be independent of democratic pressures, or should they be subjected to the preferences and approval of the electorate? In this text, Bonneau and Hall use empirical data to shed light on these normative questions and offer a coherent defense of judicial elections.