Abstract
This essay, first presented at the Magna Carta anniversary symposium of the Baronial Order of Magna Charta on April 16, 2015, at The Cosmos Club, in Washington, D.C., takes as its inspiration the spirit of the rule of law, as laid down in the Magna Carta. Specifically, the author argues that the popular election and reelection of judges undermines the rule of law, and democracy in general, by exposing judges to the manipulations of financial corruption, political intimidation, and the often irrational shifts in popular opinion. To correct this problem, the author calls for amendment of the thirty-nine state constitutions that require the popular reelection of judges in favor of another method of removing bad judges.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2016
Recommended Citation
W. Hamilton Bryson, Some Thoughts Raised by Magna Carta: the Popular Re-Election of Judges, 51 U. Rich L. Rev. 49 (2016).