Judging the Quality of Judicial Selection Methods

This white paper evaluates an assertion that is often made by proponents of judicial merit selection—i.e., that fewer unfit judges reach the bench through merit selection than through contestable elections—by comparing discipline rates for elected and merit-selected judges.

Examining Diversity on State Courts

This white paper explores the relationship between judicial diversity and the institutional, political, and legal environment in which judges are selected.

Racial and Gender Diversity on State Courts: An AJS Study

Published in the ABA Judicial Division's The Judges' Journal, this study examines the institutional and political circumstances in which minority and women judges are most likely to be selected to state courts. It also provides an overview of the extent of judicial diversity over time and in 2008.

Merit Selection: A Review of the Social Scientific Literature

Synthesizes existing social science research on merit selection. [Cite as: Malia Reddick, Merit Selection: A Review of the Social Scientific Literature, 106 DICK. L. REV. 729 (2002)]

Diversity and the Judicial Merit Selection Process: A Statistical Report

According to this study of ten states in which judicial nominating commissions have a role in selecting judges, more diverse commissions attract more diverse applicant pools and produce more diverse nominee lists.