Electing judges

TheCapital editorial against elections for Circuit Court judge is misguided (The Capital, Oct. 16).

Elections for Circuit Court judge have both historic and current value. Historically, itwas the onlyway African Americans could get on the bench when the old

Democratic Party reflected the segregationist sentiments of Old South. It was especially important for Black communities to have judges that understood the community in which itwas hearing cases.

Today, meeting judicial candidates at community events serves a valuable purpose. It forces judges to explore every corner of the county, meet the people they serve, and better understand their communities. It also lets people see judges as human beings, and evaluate their competence, giving people confidence that judges are truly qualified for their roles.

Another benefit of elections for Circuit Court judge is as a popular check against executive overreach. With the exceptions of Governors Larry Hogan, Robert Ehrlich, Spiro Agnew, and Theodore McKeldin, Maryland has been a one-party state from more than a century.

Judicial elections mean that the people have some say in their judges, and that they are not just an extension of the party machinery. There is a chance, however small, that one party will not exclusively dominate all three branches of government. And as the elections of Judges Paul Harris, Paul Goetzke, and Allison Asti proved, the people’s voice still matters.

MICHAEL COLLINS Annapolis