Even if you never end up in a courtroom, you rely on a fair and honest judicial system. Every purchase you make, every contract you sign, every time you drive your car or go to work, the courts are there in case something goes wrong. Disputes over property rights, government regulations, business practices, and criminal accusations get sorted out by courts. And it works only if judges consistently and impartially uphold the rule of law.

Why are judicial elections important?

Judicial Election Engagement Guide

Judicial elections allow voters, rather than politicians, to choose our judges. Unfortunately, judicial elections often go almost unnoticed. Many are determined by default when only one candidate files to run. Others are decided in the primary election—for judicial candidates only, the primary result is final if one candidate receives a majority. This guide can help you get informed—and inform others—about judicial elections.

Sometimes voters choose not to vote for judges because they do not know anything about the candidates. It can be diffi-cult to decide who to vote for in a judicial race because judges may not make appearances outside of the courtroom very often. Therefore, voters are not educated on the candidates’ platforms, background and experience. One way to address this issue is to hold a forum in your community. Here are some tips on how to hold your own judicial candidate forum.

When scrutinizing judicial candidates, you should consider several factors. Experience is key to being able to make knowledgeable decisions on cases. Make sure to find out how long a candidate has been in the legal profession. See if you can find out if the candidate has argued or heard any high-profile cases and decide if you agree with the candidate’s argument or ruling. Figure out whether or not the candidate is committed to making decisions independently and impartially. Choose a candidate who is honest and can be trusted to make decisions without bias. Investigate the candidates’ reputations in their communities. Is this candidate a member of any civic groups, organizations, bar associations, etc.? If so, which ones? Do you agree with the philosophy of these groups? Find out if the candidates have received any awards or recognition for their work in the legal field. If you can, go see the candi-date in action to check out his or her competence, ability to communicate and professionalism. In the end, you should vote for a candidate you think will interpret the law fairly and uphold the principles of justice and the constitution.

evaluating judicial candidates

holding judicial candidate Forums

Determine a budget for your forum. You will need to consider costs for renting a venue, printing materi-als, marketing and advertising and equipment rental (audio, lights, tables, etc.).

Who is hosting this event? If you are a partisan group, you should consider finding a group to co-sponsor the forum with you. Some judicial candidates may be turned off by participating in a forum hosted by a partisan group since their race is nonpartisan. Co-hosts might offer input on format and questions. They should definitely help you promote the event.

You should invite all candidates running for the of-fice to participate. Candidates are more encouraged to attend when there is equal opportunity for par-ticipation. It is acceptable to hold a forum even if all of the candidates do not attend. During the forum, you should allow each candidate the same amount of time to speak and answer questions.

Choose a venue with enough seats for your audi-ence. Be careful not to pick a location that is too big. You don’t want your room to look empty! School au-ditoriums, libraries and city community centers are great locations because they are not associated with a particular political party and the rental fees are

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usually low. When you book your location, be sure to make sure it is able to provide sound equipment, a head table for the candidates and a podium. If your venue does not provide those necessities, you should consider renting them.

The format of the forum should answer the follow-ing questions: How long will the forum last? How long should each candidate have to introduce him or herself? In which order will the candidates speak? How long do candidates have to answer a question? How long will candidates have to respond to ques-tions? Will you take questions from the audience? If so, how will you gather and filter them? How long will the candidates have for closing statements?

One thing is for certain -- your candidates want ex-posure. They will be more inclined to participate if you have a larger audience. You should email an in-vitation to all of your group members. In your email, ask them to invite their friends. Publish announce-ments in your local newspaper, with the chamber of commerce, and other in other community newslet-ters. Ask your other community groups such as Ro-tary and Kiwanis to promote the forum. You should also invite your local Republican and Democratic Party groups. You should definitely promote your event using social media on platforms such as Face-book and Twitter.

You may choose to have someone from your group be the moderator for the event. Sometimes it is bet-ter to get an outsider to moderate the event so that there is not bias. Local newspaper journalists and radio hosts make great moderators for these candi-date forums.

It’s usually a good idea to print a program for your forum. You should include a short biography of the candidates running for the judicial position. It should be brief and include their names, where they live, current occupations, and one to three sentences about their previous work.

It is always a great idea to get the media to cover your forum. Contact your local newspaper about sending a reporter. Keep in mind that reporters love perks. If you invite the media, reserve a seat for them. Have a name badge for them. Designate a parking spot for them. Bloggers and televisions stations and ra-dio hosts should also be contacted. Media coverage attracts a larger audience. Video recording your fo-rum is also a good idea. You can post it to YouTube, on social media, and include it in emails. This makes it easy for people who cannot make it to the forum to watch it online — including reporters who had a schedule conflict.

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1. Why are you running?

2. What is your judicial philosophy?

3. What is/will be your approach for deciding cases?

4. What do you consider the primary function of the local/district/Supreme court?

5. What are the local court systems biggest challenges?

6. Is there a specific Washington Supreme Court case opinion from the past few years that you disagree with?

7. Which United States Supreme Court jus-tice most clearly reflects your view of how local, state or federal law should be inter-preted and why?

8. Who would you say has had the most influ-ence in your life professionally?

9. What has been the highlight of your ca-reer?

10. How much freedom do you think a judicial candidate should have to express his or her views?

11. Have you ever had to support a legal posi-tion that was contrary to your personal moral belief? If so, how did you handle it?

12. What do you want to see accomplished while you are on the bench?

13. What role do you think the court should have in the legislative process?

14. Given Washington’s current economic situ-ation, how do you think courts can contain costs?

15. If you could change one thing about our court system in Washington, what would it be?

16. What do you consider your biggest strength and biggest weakness as a candi-date for judge?

17. If elected, how will you prepare yourself for cases concerning an area of law in which you are not familiar?

18. If you are elected to the bench, what will you bring to the court that it does not have?

19. Historically, many people do not vote for judicial candidates even if they turn out to vote in another race on the ballot. Why should people vote in this judicial election?

20. What makes you the best candidate for this office?

Freedom Foundation’s Theodore L. Stiles Center for Liberty seeks to advance a rule of law under which individuals are able to exercise their fundamental liberties and government is limited to its proper role

in society. For more information, visit StilesCenter.org.

Questions to ask judicial candidates