Voter Knowledge of Judge Candidates’ Judicial Philosophies

Voter Knowledge of Candidates’ Judicial Philosophies by Craig M. Burnett of the University of North Carolina and Lydia Brashear Tiede, University of Houston - Department of Political Science.  The Abstract:      

Judicial elections are typical “down ballot” elections, rarely capturing the interest of most voters. To help distinguish themselves at the polls, judicial candidates have begun to publish their decision-making philosophies with the apparent hope of informing voters. Using survey data collected during the 2012 elections, we explore how well individuals understand such philosophies.