Judicial Performance Evaluations

A judge conferring with two people in a courtroom

New National Blueprint Aims to Restore Trust in the Courts through Judicial Evaluation Reform

IAALS has released recommendations for modernizing judicial performance evaluation, including a set of reforms designed to help states strengthen judicial accountability, promote public trust, and ensure the courts meet the needs of today’s society.

Judicial Performance Evaluation 2.0

Current judicial performance evaluation (JPE) processes—which are like job evaluations for judges—no longer fully capture the experience of modern court users, the needs of modern judges, or the expectations of modern voters. Our JPE 2.0 project is helping JPE programs update their approaches to reflect modern realities, while remaining accurate, trusted, and relevant.

dark gray background with stylized JPE 2.0 text in white

Survey Reveals How Judges Would Improve the Ways They Are Evaluated

IAALS has released the results of an eight-state survey of 658 judges on judicial performance evaluation, providing key insights into judges' perspectives on the process. New national recommendations for JPE enhancements are coming later in 2024.

IAALS Honors Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Commits to Carrying on her Legacy

We at IAALS are among the many saddened by the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. We are honored that Justice O’Connor chose to partner with us to continue her work on judicial selection through IAALS, and we strive to carry on her legacy.

statue of lady justice on desk of judge or lawyer

The Future of Judicial Performance Evaluation: Reinvigorating a Cornerstone of Public Trust

IAALS's JPE 2.0 project, launched in 2021, seeks to modernize judicial performance evaluation programs and improve public trust. A survey of 658 judges and subsequent discussions in convenings revealed a holistic view of what is working—and what is not—regarding JPE.

hand holding pen to do performance evaluation

The JPE 2.0 Project: Modernizing Judicial Performance

IAALS’ JPE 2.0 project is investigating and responding to concerns about judicial performance evaluation—with a goal of renewing JPE as a valued and trusted process going forward. A foundational white paper from IAALS serves as a primer for these important developments.

IAALS Moves Forward with JPE 2.0, an Initiative to Improve and Expand Programs for Evaluating the Performance of State Court Judges

IAALS continues its commitment to ensuring fair, impartial, transparent, and accessible courts through JPE 2.0—a project that will help programs assessing the job performance of judges update their approaches to reflect modern realities, while remaining accurate, trusted, and relevant.

Judicial Performance Evaluation Programs Will Benefit from COVID-Induced Changes to Court Operations

The closing of courthouses in response to the pandemic complicated both the traditional collection and interpretation of judicial performance evaluation data. However, state courts’ adoption of new technologies over the past year has created fresh opportunities to improve JPE data collection, analysis, and dissemination going forward.

2020 Judicial Elections Bring Less Tumult, But Still a Few Surprises

On the whole, 2020 was a quiet time for state judicial elections, at least in comparison to recent years. Fewer sitting judges were directly targeted for removal, and most of the efforts to oust judges failed at the ballot box. But even quiet years have standout moments, and the recent election cycle brought several noteworthy developments.

Our Courts PSAs Urge Voters to Not Forget About Judges

In advance of the 2020 election, Our Courts Colorado has released a series of PSAs featuring diverse and well-known members of the community who explain why voters should take the time to educate themselves about the judges up for retention and then cast their votes accordingly.