Selection of Judges in Texas

Q. Discuss the selection of judges in Texas. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the practice of electing judges? What are the strengths and weakness of the practice of appointing judges?

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The selection of court judges in Texas is done through partisan elections at each and every court level. Their serving terms varies, but as far as the law is concerned they must be viable for a re-election at the end of every term. They judges must also be a U.S citizen, a resident of Texas, licensed to practice law in the state, be between the age of 35 and 75 years and have a 10 years of experience in practicing law. The main strength of this practice of electing judges is that it makes the judges more accountable to voters in that it is one hundred percent democratic as compared to other ways of selecting the judges. The second advantage is that people get to elect judges they have examined and believe that they are best for the job. However this method of electing judges has demerits. One major demerit is that the judges are prone to make decisions that will make the voters happy and not decisions that are base on the law. This is mostly attached to the fact that the judges know they will need to be re-elected again.

Q. What are the arguments for and against the privatization of prisons?

There have been plenty of views regarding privatization of prisons where some people are against the idea while others seem to greatly support it. It is believed that the procedure will greatly help the government to cut costs spent on prisons therefore powering the economy, creation of new more jobs and also create more room for inmates in the prison. However some claim that the idea will lead to a lot of transparency and honesty issues in the society.

1. Following the Civil War, legal barriers to voting were still used in Texas to prevent certain groups access to elections. What were these legal barriers and how did they create obstacles to voting?

One of the historical voting barriers in Texas was disenfranchising black voters which denied them representation in the government. Texas also denied legislative of the literacy tests and the grandfather clause and also oppressed black voting by use of poll taxes and the white primary.

2. How did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 help to deliver the promise of the Fifteenth Amendment?

The voting rights Act of 1965 helped to deliver the promise of the fifteenth Amendment by having a constitution that granted African American the right to vote. It also declared that the right of every African American to vote would not be rejected by the U.S be it to any other color or race.

References

Texas Judicial Selection Education Committee., & Committee of 100 for the Merit Selection of Judges. (1987). The Texas plan: Merit selection of judges : report of Committee of 100 for the Merit Selection of Judges. Austin, Tex: Texas Judicial Selection Education Committee.

Ammons, D. N., Campbell, R. W., & Somoza, S. L. (1992). The option of prison privatization: A guide for community deliberations. Athens, Ga: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia.