Despite worries from some judges and legal commentators that California’s judicial election process was in danger of becoming politicized, voters soundly endorsed the status quo, reports the Los Angeles Times. The electorate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to retain state Supreme Court Justices Joyce L. Kennard and Carol A. Corrigan, along with all 51 Court of Appeal justices on the ballot.
This election was in contrast to June’s primary, in which a bagel store owner with limited legal experience ousted a well-regarded sitting judge, Dzintra Janavs. That vote and an increase in hotly contested, partisan races in other states, prompted some anxiety that judicial races in California could be the next battleground. Most California judges are appointed by the governor, but they face retention elections every six years if they have an opponent.
Link: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-judge9nov09,1,4748472.story?coll=la-headlines-california