North Carolina Bar Association Releases Judicial Election PSA

Based on Colorado’s Know Your Judge PSA—a collaboration between IAALS, the Colorado Bar Association, the Colorado Judicial Institute, and the League of Women Voters of Colorado Education Fund—the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA) has released a its own PSA that urges voters to take the initiative to become informed about their judicial candidates before they vote and not to skip the judicial portion of the ballot.

Representatives of the NCBA participate in IAALS’ Judicial Performance Evaluation (JPE) working group, and this collaboration was instrumental in the development of the NCBA’s JPE program, the primary aim of which is to broadly inform voters about the qualities of a good judge, and specifically about the performance of incumbent judges standing for reelection and the judicial potential of their challengers. JPE has additional benefits as well—improving the performance of individual judges, protecting and preserving judicial independence, and ensuring public accountability of the judiciary. Click here for more information about JPE programs around the country.

To learn more about the qualities of good courts and judges, and about selection, retention, and evaluation processes that promote these ends, see Cornerstones of State Judicial Selection: Laying the Foundation for Quality Court Systems and Judges.