October 11, 2012
To the Editor:
The Maricopa County Bar Association, a voluntary organization comprised of over 3,000 members of the Maricopa County legal community, urges you to vote NO on Ballot Proposition 115, SCR 1001. As local attorneys, we have daily interaction and experience with state court judges in Maricopa County. We believe the current merit selection system is not broken. Merit selection produces the highest quality judicial officers who provide superior and efficient service to our community. In fact, the Maricopa County judiciary is among the most respected in the country. The proposed changes will neither improve the quality of judges appointed to the bench, nor increase access to justice for residents in our community. Although some aspects of Ballot Proposition 115 do not appear to be objectionable, we oppose any changes that could politicize the selection of judges or erode the separation of powers. Ballot Proposition 115 seeks to increase the role of partisan politics in the judicial selection system and thereby undermines the constitutional goal of creating an independent judiciary staffed by impartial judges. For these reasons, we urge you to vote NO on Ballot Proposition 115.
MARICOPA COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION