Doctoral Dissertation Research in Law and Social Science: The Role of Political Parties and Organized Interests in the Selection of State Supreme Court Justices

这个项目的目的是研究政党和利益集团在选择州最高法院法官中所起的作用。这项研究将考察一系列不同的竞选活动，以确定政党和利益集团的参与是否会因选择制度的类型、竞选的竞争力、更广泛的政治环境和群体的类型而有所不同。该项目将调查政党、利益集团和法院候选人，以确定政党和利益集团参与州大法院法官选拔的类型和程度。这些数据将有助于阐明遴选过程如何影响州最高法院系统的公正性、独立性和问责制。学者、政策制定者和公众长期以来一直在争论州最高法院法官是否应该选举或任命，如果是前者，哪种选举制度更可取。这场辩论往往被框定为司法独立和司法问责制之间的根本二分法，前者通常与司法任命有关，后者与司法选举有关。然而，尽管在这一领域的研究迅速扩大，但政党和利益集团在多大程度上参与了法官的选择，仍然没有得到很好的理解，尽管它们的参与意味着问责制和独立性。这个项目的调查结果将有助于更好地了解司法选举的动态。

The purpose of this project is to examine the role that political parties and interest groups play in the selection of state supreme court justices. This research will examine an array of different campaign activities to determine whether the involvement of parties and interest groups varies depending on the type of selection system, the competitiveness of the race, the broader political environment, and the type of group. This project will survey political parties, interest groups, and court candidates to determine the type and level of involvement of parties and interest groups in the selection of state supreme court justices. This data will help to clarify how the selection process affects the impartiality, independence, and accountability of state supreme court systems.Scholars, policymakers, and the public have long debated whether state supreme court justices should be elected or appointed, and if the former, what type of election system is preferable. This debate is often framed as a fundamental dichotomy between judicial independence and judicial accountability, the former usually associated with judicial appointment, the latter with judicial election. However, despite the rapidly expanding research in this area, it is still not well understood to what extent political parties and interest groups have become involved in selecting justices, though their participation implicates both accountability and independence. The findings from this project will contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of judicial elections.