Removing direct elections from judicial selection does not remove ideology from the outcome; it relocates the decision to a smaller body that is less representative of the population the judiciary ultimately serves.
In August, U.S. Department of Education staff recommended stripping the ABA of its federal recognition as the accreditor of American law schools.
Entropy, which is a measure of disorder, requires the application of energy to overcome it.
In general with social science, as opposed to criminology, it is well known that almost no programs work.
Some programs, though, have been studied a bit more rigorously than the standard pre-test, post-test maneuver.
Calls to “remove the stigma” and the liberalization of drug use are on the wane.
Much of what goes on in courtrooms is based on tradition and folklore rather than the text of the law. Take the furlough as an example.
The bail reform movement is dying, but it is not yet dead.
Our criminal justice system attempts to provide social work and psychological and medical services. To state the obvious, lawyers are not trained or suited to do these things.
As tempting as it sounds for powerful court officials to embrace mercy, it is outside of the law to do so.
Despite the enthusiasm for problem-solving courts, there is little solid evidence that they work any better than traditional courts.
The myth has reduced accountability for young people who break the law in Indiana and across the country.
Tradition argues for judges to stay behind the bench, and avoid problem solving, advocating, and making public policy.