What part, if any, should public opinion play in the decision of a judge?
Public opinion matters because judges serve at the pleasure of the public. Through elections, the public determines which candidates are deserving of the trust of the people to serve as judges. Alabama is one of only seven states that elect judges in partisan elections. As previous elections have shown, public opinion can be manipulated by the endless spending of special interests. In order for a democracy to flourish, the judiciary must be accountable to the voters. However, unlike what is reflected in statistics showing the number of times jury verdicts are overturned by the Alabama Supreme Court, I believe that more often than not, juries get it right. Whether deciding the guilt or innocence of a capital murder defendant, deciding whether a large out of state corporation committed fraud against the taxpayers, or holding corrupt public officials responsible for their conduct, I place great weight and deference on the decisions reached by jurors after exhaustive deliberations. There a
