Daybook: 9/9/10

The Assault on the Elected Judiciary (Heritage) In recent years, the battle over state judicial selection has intensified greatly. Tens of millions of dollars have been poured into politically coordinated efforts encouraging states that still embrace popular election of judges to switch to selection by unelected “expert” commissions, a system often called “Merit Selection.” Proponents of this system decry the increased spending in state judicial races and assert that judicial independence is undermined by candidates receiving funds from attorneys and litigants they may see in a courtroom once elected. They assert that “Merit Selection” is an apolitical method of choosing candidates based on credentials rather than policy views expressed in campaign ads.

Urban Sprawl and Public Health (New America Foundation) A discussion about how where we live impacts our physical and mental health with one of the leading national researchers in public health with Richard Jackson Professor and Chair of Environmental Health Sciences at the School of Public Health, UCLA; Moderator Patrick Doherty Director, Smart Strategy Initiative New America Foundation; Introduction Dhiru Thadani Chairman, Congress for the New Urbanism--DC Chapter.

Comments

[Henrietta]

I assume the title, "Assault on the Elected Judiciary," is the one selected by Heritage. It is naturally completely shameless. I'm surprised they stopped short of the only slightly more shameless title, "The Assault on Don Blankenship's Ability to Buy Judges."