Original Post

Selection or appointing of judges in the United States depends on the state that the activity is taking place. There are several alternative ways through which state judges are elected or appointed in the state of Texas. One of the ways is through the appointment by the governor of a state. This involves the appointing of the state judges where the governors choose the judges they would like to preside over the cases of their respective states. Another way is through the merit selection where a legislative committee chooses judges based on their previous performances. A partisan election is another way that the state judges are chosen. This involves the voting in of a judge by the electorate basing on the affiliate political party of the judge. Lastly, the judges are voted using the non-partisan elections. This is where the election of the judges does not involve the stating of the judge’s political party affiliate.

Texas as a state had faced some issue with its judicial system in the past but took some steps to ameliorate these problems. One of the problems that faced Texas was that of judges who took long in the offices before they retired. To solve this, the constitution was amended, and it stated that when a judge attained the age of 75 years, they were supposed to retire and give a chance to the others. Additionally, it stated that every judge had to participate in the reelection process when the term was over to be vetted for a declaration to be fit for office.

Reply One

I concur that there are several ways through which a state judge can be chosen. However, in Texas, there is only one way, and it is through the appointment by the governor with the consent of the Senate. In other states, one the ways through which state judges are chosen is through the partisan elections. It involves the electing of the judges through the ballot and usually runs as a political party. I also agree that another way to choose state judges is through the non-partisan elections. These are elections where the judge is put in the ballot paper without a political party. To ameliorate the issues in the judicial system, the state restricted the amount a judge should receive a donation for their campaigns.

Reply Two

In the early days the state judges in Texas were appointed by the governor, but today they use the partisan elections to select they preferred judges. I also concur with the sentiments that another way to select judges is that of the merit selection. This involves a select committee being able to appoint a judge based on their qualifications and their past performance track record they have set. I concur with the sentiments that in 2007 the constitution was amended changing the required age for the retirement for judges. Initially, there was no limit, but the amendment stated that the retirement age was 75 years.

References

Maute, J. L. (2017). Selecting justice in state courts: The ballot box or the backroom. S. Tex. L.             Rev., 41, 1197.