To the Editor:
Proposition 115 is bad public policy that should be rejected by Arizona voters.
The League of Women Voters opposes this dangerous measure because it increases political influence in our judiciary while reducing the quality of the judges selected to our courts.
Arizona has used merit selection since the 1970s to select judges for the supreme and appellate courts and the superior courts in counties with more than 250,000 people.
Prop. 115 changes the nominating commissions for those courts, with the governor appointing 14 of the 15 members, up from 10 now. Those commissioners, who interview and screen for the best candidates, would have to loosen their standards. Under merit selection, the top three candidates are sent to the governor for consideration. Prop. 115 changes that to as many as eight, potentially destroying any sense of merit in the process. Also gone would be the requirement to have nominees of different political parties.
The changes would allow political friends and cronies to make their way through the process and win seats on the bench despite a lack of merit.
The League of Women Voters urge Arizonans to reject this blatant attack on our independent judiciary.
Sincerely,
Sandra Goodwin
Impartial Courts Director
League of Women Voters