Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
Should Supreme Court Justices be elected or appointed?
Position‹2 of 2

Supreme court justices should be appointed

Appointments of Supreme Court justices ensure that all justices are qualified for the job. Unlike elected justices, appointed justices do not need to worry about the popular view. They can base their decisions on legal correctness rather than political popularity.

Supporting arguments · 2

  1. Appointed justices can focus on implementing the law rather than satisfying the popular view
    While an elected judiciary would be most concerned with the popular opinion to secure places in the re-election, an appointed judiciary only needs to worry about the rule of law.
  2. Judicial appointment helps produce a higher caliber of independent judges
    Judicial appointments ensure that only independent justices with necessary qualifications can serve in the Supreme Court. Elected justices can be extremely unsuited to the job.