Judges Should Be Judged on Records Not Party Labels

A recent opinion piece talked about why local judicial elections matter. It pointed out that two judges running for another term were picked by Republican governors. But here is the thing. Every judge in Florida for the last twenty seven years was chosen by a Republican governor. So that fact alone does not tell you much about how they do their jobs.

Judge J. Lee Marsh grew up in Tallahassee. He spent twenty years in the Navy as a submariner and a legal advisor. Judge Jason Jones started as a prosecutor. Then he worked over ten years for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He even served as their top lawyer. Both men are active in their community and in legal groups. Both have already won elections after first being appointed.

The rules for judges say they cannot talk about political parties or hot button issues. That is because their job is to follow the law as written. They must be fair and treat everyone with respect. Labels like Republican or Democrat do not show if a judge can do that. What matters is their actual record on the bench.

Voters in the Second Circuit have a chance to pick judges based on what they have done. Not on guesses about their politics. Each candidate deserves a fair look at their experience and their decisions. That is how you keep the courts fair for everyone.