As presidential candidates and state legislators campaign over the future of abortion in America, elections for the third branch of government have largely escaped scrutiny on the issue. Until now. Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe vs. Wade, elections for state supreme court justices have become a new political frontier in the abortion fight, with interest groups pouring unusual amounts of money into typically little-known races. An unprecedented $100.
The Brennan Center supports a merit process for selecting new justices, Milov-Cordoba said, with long terms “to avoid some of the politicization that comes with judicial elections.” Justices are still bound by law, of course, and cannot unilaterally make policy changes.