A Proposal to Change Minnesota's Judicial Selection System

David Schultz, writing on MinnPost, argues that Minnesota's system for selecting judges needs to be changed. While judges are supposed to be elected, "studies have shown that approximately 90 percent of all individuals who become a judge in Minnesota do so initially by gubernatorial appointment, thereby circumventing the election process." Secondly, judicial candidates rarely face contested elections, and "more than a quarter of Minnesotans opt not to vote for judges, or simply vote based on familiar-sounding names that are Nordic." Third, judicial candidates, who rely on donations from lawyers for their campaigns, are going to be even more awash in contributions after court decisions invalidating restrictions on fundraising. Schultz suggests an appointed system, including fixed judicial terms or limitations on the selection of judges by the governor.