This week’s blog discussion isn’t focused on seniors or people with special needs.
Election Day is next Tuesday. I urge you to seek out and consider the bar association rankings of judicial candidates when you vote.
Some bar associations meet with judicial candidates to try to predict fairness as a judge (often called “judicial temperament.) This is NOT a test on issues or ideology. It is a judgment of a willingness to listen to both sides and an ability to make tough, sometimes uncomfortable, decisions. These rankings have nothing to do with Democrat or Republican or third party or Independent affiliations.
The possible rankings are:
Highly Recommended (highest ranking)
Recommended
Acceptable, and
Not recommended (lowest ranking)
Or
Excellent (highest ranking)
Good
Acceptable, and
Not recommended (lowest ranking.)
The reviews may not express a preference between candidates. Sometimes two or more candidates for the same judgeship will have identical rankings. (Unfortunately, that occasionally means that only “not recommended” candidates are available for a particular judgeship, like in one of the Ohio Supreme Court races this year.)
For my friends in northeast Ohio (where I live,) you can find bar association rankings at:
State Supreme Court: https://www.ohiobar.org/NewsAndPublications/News/OSBANews/Pages/OSBA-announces-Supreme-Court-of-Ohio-candidate-ratings-for-2014-Election.aspx (by the Ohio State Bar Association)
Cuyahoga County and State Supreme Court: http://www.judge4yourself.com/jcrc-ratings.html (by 4 bar associations and two newspapers)
Summit County: http://youbethejudgesummitcounty.com/ (by the Akron Bar Association)
Portage County: http://www.recordpub.com/local%20news/1997/10/27/judicial-candidates-ranked-by-bar (bar rankings discussed in news story)
I was not able to find bar association ratings for other counties. Sorry.
I urge you to consider these ratings when you vote. If you live somewhere other than the counties I’ve listed above, I urge you to see if your local bar association has made ratings available for your judicial candidates.
No matter what, please get out, and vote.
For information on legal issues regarding long term care and special needs,
visit Jim’s website.
Jim Koewler’s mission is
“Protecting Seniors and People with Special Needs.”
For help with long term care or with planning for someone with special needs,
call Jim, or contact him through his website.
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