One of the most important aspects of our judicial system is its independence from the political and social influences that other country’s systems suffer from.  But are we entering a situation where we might have judges for sale?

Look at Brazil—it seems whichever party is in power, the courts support that party.  The president and former president are both under charges of fraud and stealing money from the government-owned petroleum company.  Are the charges based on objective evidence or are they merely the new party’s efforts to discredit the old regime and cause them trouble?  Even in India, a democracy of sorts, the courts don’t seem to be independent and objective.  When one quarter of the Indian congressional members are under indictment for crimes at any time, how can the judges be independent?

Here’s an ominous article from the New York Times that scares me about our own country’s future and the possibility of judges for sale.  Its called:  The Secret Power Behind Local Elections

It’s about the secret power behind local elections that is happening a lot in the U.S.  It could effect judges for sale in the future.  The story tells of local groups that have one issue they want pushed and are willing to pour millions of dollars into local races to get favorable candidates elected to give the donors what they want.  Sometimes, it’s a social issue but many times it’s simply an economic advantage the donor wants from the official.

In Minnesota, for instance, all our judges run in elections.  Usually, these are non-partisan races where not much money is spent on campaigning.  However, there is always the threat of judges for sale if a local group with an issue and/or a financial incentive could pour money into the campaign of a friendly candidate who promises to rule for them.  A judge serves for a six year term so if he/she is one of the judges for sale, a lot of harm could be done in those years.

The media is crowded with the news of the presidential race—for obvious reasons.  In reality, the thousands of local races in our communities actually affect each of us more that any president can do.  We should be aware and vigilant about the possibility of judges for sale.